President Donald J. Trump is Dedicated to Combating MS-13 | Eastern North Carolina Now

Press Release:

    "I am calling on the Congress to finally close the deadly loopholes that have allowed MS-13, and other criminals, to break into our country."  -  President Donald J. Trump

          •  MS-13 IS A THREAT TO AMERICAN COMMUNITIES: President Donald J. Trump is committed to protecting communities from the violent animals of MS-13.

          •  MS-13 is a transnational gang that has committed horrendous acts of violence in communities across America.

               •  The gang's motto is "mata, viola, controla," which means "kill, rape, control."

          •  There are more than 10,000 MS-13 members in the United States and more than 30,000 members worldwide.

          •  MS-13 is active in at least 40 States and the District of Columbia.

               •  Local MS-13 leaders often communicate and take orders from gang leaders in El Salvador.

               •  President Trump is meeting with law enforcement, local leaders, and victims of MS-13 violence on Long Island, New York.

               •  Communities on Long Island have been strongly impacted by the violence and suffering spread by MS-13.

               •  Police suspect MS-13 was involved in at least 25 killings on Long Island between 2016 and 2018.

               •  MS-13 is the largest and most violent gang on Long Island, with an estimated 2,000 MS-13 members in the area.

    STRONG ACTION AGAINST MS-13: President Trump's Administration is committed to combating MS-13 on all possible fronts.

          •  President Trump's Administration is fighting back against MS-13, by taking a wide range of actions against the gang.

               •  ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) arrested 796 MS-13 members and associates in fiscal year (FY) 2017, an 83 percent increase from FY 2016.

               •  In 2017, the Department of Justice worked with partners in Central America to secure criminal charges against more than 4,000 MS-13 members.

               •  U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested 228 illegal aliens affiliated with MS-13 in FY 2017.

    ELIMINATE LOOPHOLES HINDERING EFFORTS TO COMBAT MS-13: The current immigration system contains loopholes and barriers that hinder efforts to fully confront MS-13.

          •  Certain loopholes in our immigration system are holding back efforts to fully confront MS-13.

          •  Transnational gangs, such as MS-13, take advantage of our porous borders and seek to use our current immigration system to their advantage.

               •  Federal immigration officials are not able to quickly remove alien gang members based on their membership in a gang.

               •  MS-13 has sought to use the influx of Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC) entering the United States for recruitment.

               •  According to Congressional testimony by the U.S. Border Patrol Acting Chief in June 2017, MS-13 took advantage of recent large-scale flows of foreign nationals into the United States by hiding among these populations to enter our country.

• Contact: White House
•     Press Office