ICE arrests 14 Mexican Posse members here
By Georgia Pabst of the Journal Sentinel
Aug. 1, 2012 1:05 p.m.
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Special agents with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have arrested 14 foreign nationals in Milwaukee who are members or associates of the Mexican Posse gang, according to a news release from the immigration agency in Chicago.

Working with police departments in Milwaukee, Greendale and Greenfield, authorities arrested the men this week as part of an ongoing national effort to target foreign-born gang members, the release said.

Thirteen of those arrested are Mexican nationals. One is from the Dominican Republic.

All are currently in ICE custody pending deportation proceedings. One also faces possible federal prosecution as an illegal immigrant in possession of a firearm, the release said.

All 14 who were arrested have criminal histories that include arrests and conviction for a wide range of crimes committed in the U.S. including narcotics trafficking, criminal damage to property and theft, ICE said.

"Violent street gangs account for a burgeoning amount of crime in our communities in the Midwest and across the country," said Gary Hartwig, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations.

The investigation was part of a homeland security operation in which ICE teams up with federal, state and local anti-gang efforts to identify violent street gangs and develop information on gang members and their activities.

Since 2005, when the effort began, more than 26,726 street gang members and associates have been arrested nationwide, ICE said.

About 40% of those arrested had a violent criminal history. More than 340 of those arrested were gang leaders and more than 4,000 were MS-13 gang members or associates, ICE said.

MS-13 stands for Mara Salvatrucha-13, considered by authorities to be one of the most dangerous gangs in the world.

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ICE arrests 14 Mexican Posse members here - JSOnline