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6/2/2005
Associated Press
Topics: MS-13, laws, Republican, Democrat, Congress, Senate, security, crimes, gangs

FORT LAUDERDALE -- U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson announced legislation Wednesday intended to curb the growth of violent street gangs such as MS-13, a gang with Central American origins that police said could be prevented from taking root in South Florida with focused action.

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"A lot of these gang members come here for refuge," Nelson told reporters. "We do not want them to get a toehold here."

The legislation outlined by Nelson would raise the maximum prison sentence from one year to 10 years for people who smuggle gang members across U.S. borders. It would also permit U.S. consular officials to deny entry visas for anyone suspected of gang ties.

Nelson met Wednesday with Broward County Sheriff Ken Jenne and a dozen other members of a South Florida anti-gang task force after spending three days in Honduras to discuss the MS-13 problem with Honduran President Ricardo Maduro and U.S. State Department officials.

The Justice Department estimates that nationwide there are about 10,000 members of MS-13 -- short for Mara Salvatrucha -- a gang that first surfaced in Los Angeles in the 1980s among migrants who fled wars in Central America, especially El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala.

According to the FBI, MS-13 has a presence in 31 states and is involved in drug trafficking as well as rape, murder, extortion, auto theft and robbery.

The gang has been associated with extreme violence and is blamed for a Dec. 23 bus attack in Honduras that killed 28 mostly women and children on a shopping trip. A note left at the scene said the attack was in retaliation for Honduran efforts to crack down on the gang.

"What they are obviously trying to do is intimidate and instill fear in a government to get them to back off," Nelson said.

There is also concern that MS-13 could form an alliance with al-Qaida and help terrorists gain illegal entry into the United States, Nelson said. The FBI has investigated rumors of such links but so far has found no evidence of such a partnership, according to recent congressional testimony.

Although MS-13 members have been blamed for crimes such as drug trafficking and home invasion robberies in South Florida, Jenne said the gang has not yet become entrenched in the area. In January, however, about a dozen MS-13 members were arrested in Miami-Dade County, including two wanted in California for a gang slaying.

"We're catching the problem before it's accelerated," Jenne said. "It is a potential danger."

Critical to that effort, Jenne and other Florida officials said, is more money from the federal government, particularly with state money for anti-gang efforts becoming more scarce.

"What we have so far is good, but could be much better if it is properly funded," Jenne said.

Nelson pledged to support attempts in Congress to secure more money for gang task forces in Florida and across the country.