http://www.theconservativevoice.com/art ... l?id=11009

Nation's Police Chiefs Say Illegal Alien Gang Linked to Al-Qaeda
December 23, 2005 06:43 PM EST

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested 103 members of the violent street gang Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) in six major U.S. cities as part of a new anti-gang initiative called “Operation Community Shield,� according to a report received by the National Association of Chiefs of Police.

ICE officials reported that in 2005 teams of ICE special agents, working with federal, state and local law enforcement in Washington, D.C., Baltimore, New York, Newark, Los Angeles, and Miami, have been arresting MS-13 gang members on criminal and/or administrative charges.

The hundreds individuals arrested to date are accused of violations that range from felony charges of re-entering the United States after deportation, to violating state anti-gang injunctions, to violating the terms of their immigration status due to prior convictions for attempted murder, sodomy, assault, arson, weapons possession and narcotics violations. Roughly half of these 103 individuals have prior arrests or convictions for violent crimes. Several also have charges of murder pending against them.

"This is a clear indication that we need to screen illegal aliens already in the country, and to tighten border security in general," according to Jim Kouri, vice president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police.

Kouri claims that while the rhetoric is promising, he will believe the federal government means business when he sees it with his own eyes.

"We've been promised a lot only to be disappointed by the results. It's time the President and congress stop playing games and get serious about criminal aliens who number in the hundreds of thousands," warns Kouri, a 27-year law enforcement and security veteran.

The majority of MS-13 members are foreign nationals in this country illegally, making them subject to ICE’s criminal and administrative immigration authorities. ICE coordinates all deportations with the foreign nations receiving these individuals.

At the same time, many MS-13 members derive income from the sale of illegal drugs and other contraband, making them subject to ICE’s counter-drug, financial and other investigative authorities. MS-13 is also suspected of collaboration with members or associates of the Al-Qaeda terrorism network. Seizure and forfeiture of funds, property and other illegally derived assets will be another part of the Operation.

Operation Community Shield builds on several prior anti-gang initiatives conducted by ICE agents in conjunction with federal, state and local authorities in specific jurisdictions.

In Charlotte, N.C., for example, ICE agents worked with local authorities to arrest and remove from the United States more than 100 foreign-born MS-13 gang members. In the three years before this operation, approximately 20 homicides in Charlotte had been attributed to MS-13. Since the operation, there has been a dramatic decline in homicides attributed to MS-13.

"The ICE agents and local cops are doing what they can. They need the support of politcal leaders," says Kouri.