Reuters
recently reported that immigration officials across the country have arrested
more 200 individuals who are alleged to be members and associates of the
Mara Salvatrucha gang, or MS-13. The crackdown was the second phase of
Operation Raging Bull, which started with 53 arrests in El Salvador. MS-13,
a notorious cross-border criminal organization, originated in Los Angeles
in the 1980s for the purposes of protecting immigrants fleeing civil war
in El Salvador, and is reported to have more than 10,000 members in 40
states. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has vowed to continue
the crackdown until all members and associates have been arrested. Ninety-three
of the most recent arrests were charged with federal or state offenses,
with the remainder being arrested on immigration violations. The arrests
included 16 American citizens and 198 foreign nationals, with five being
legal residents. More than a quarter of the detainees entered the country
as unaccompanied minors. The rival gang of MS-13, the 18
th
Street Gang, also operates extensively in the U.S. the two gangs are battling
for the control of drug trafficking, robbery, and extortion networks in
Central America. The U.S. Department of Justice and law enforcement authorities
from El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala filed criminal charges against
3,800 members from the two gangs, including 70 members living in six different
states. Contrary to the practices of the Obama administration, immigration
officials also are targeting teenagers in the gang crackdowns. Legal representation
is essential to fighting back against deportation charges brought by the
federal government, whether you are accused of gang activity or another
ground for deportation. The Oakland deportation defense attorneys of
Landerholm Immigration, A.P.C.
know how to help you through every step of your deportation proceedings.
Take the first step today toward securing the future of your family in
the United States, and call our office at (510) 756-4468 to set up a
legal evaluation with one of our highly skilled California immigration lawyers.
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