Officials Arrest 124 SoCal Gang Members Illegally In U.S.
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Authorities on Wednesday announced the arrest of 124 gang members who are also illegal immigrants, saying many had been indicted for illegally entering the United States after being repeatedly deported.
The gang members, from Mexico and other Central American countries, were arrested over the last three months in the Los Angeles area, federal authorities said.
Officials said 56 gang members, including many of those arrested, had been indicted on federal charges for drug trafficking, firearm possession and re-entry to the United States after being deported.
Federal prosecutors said they are increasingly using immigration violations to prosecute gang members who get deported after doing jail sentences for various crimes, only to then come back to the United States. Illegal re-entry is a felony with a maximum prison sentence of 20 years.
Acting U.S. Attorney George Cardona gave the example of a gang member who had been deported nine times to Mexico between sentences for drug possession and unlawfully driving a vehicle.
"They are not going to just get taken on a bus to Mexico and then find a way back across the border four days later," he said.