Dozens On LI Arrested In MS-13 Roundup

Dozens of people on Long Island were arrested in the last month as part of a nationwide sweep of MS-13 members conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as part of Operation Raging Bull.

According to ICE, Raging Bull led to the arrest of 267 MS-13 members both in the United States and in El Salvador. According to Newsday, 38 of the arrests were made on Long Island — the highest concentration of arrests in the country.

"MS-13 has long been a priority for ICE. However we are now combating the gang with renewed focus and an unprecedented level of cooperation among [the Department of Homeland Security’s] components and our domestic and international partners," said Thomas Homan, ICE Deputy Director and Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Director. "ICE has the ability to pursue complex criminal cases using our statutory authorities and to prevent crime by using our administrative arrest authorities to remove gang members from the country. We will not rest until every member, associate, and leader of MS-13 has been held accountable for their crimes, and those in this country illegally have been removed."

Of the total 214 arrests made in the U.S., 93 were arrested on federal and/or state criminal charges including murder, aggravated robbery, racketeering influenced corrupt organization (RICO) offenses, violent crime in aid of racketeering (VICAR) offenses, narcotics trafficking, narcotics possession, firearms offenses, domestic violence, assault, forgery, driving under the influence, and illegal entry/reentry. The remaining 121 were arrested on administrative immigration violations. Sixteen of the 214 arrested were U.S. citizens and 198 were foreign nationals, of which only five had legal status to be in the U.S.

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ICE and the DHS have been working hard on Long Island to catch MS-13 members since May, the agency said. They have teamed with local police departments to track and arrest the gang members. To date, ICE says it has arrested 183 MS-13 members in New York City and on Long Island. ICE said there is an entire team that is solely responsible for identifying gang members. Once identified, arrest teams are deployed to locate and arrest them.

According to ICE, its relationship with local law enforcement on Long Island is key to finding and arresting gang members.

“The Suffolk County Police Department is committed to eradicating MS-13 from our communities, and that would not be possible without close collaboration with our law enforcement partners in HSI,” said Suffolk County Police Commissioner Tim Sini. “Through strategic targeting of gang members, focusing on known hot-spot locations frequented by gang members and sharing intelligence with our fellow law enforcement agencies, we have continued our successful efforts to remove MS-13 members from our streets.”

ICE prioritizes transnational gangs that are a threat to the public. For MS-13, “Kill. Rape. Control.” is their motto. Their power comes through violence. The gang believes that the more violent they become, the fear in the community in increased, and capitalizing on that fear makes them more powerful.

ICE and its investigative division, Homeland Security Investigations, know that their local partners know the people in the communities. In order for the collaboration to continue to be successful, local officials must remain engaged with the community in which their serve. That includes letting them know who HSI is and why the special agents are there.

“The Nassau County Police Department has always enjoyed a cohesive relationship with HSI and ICE to combat crime and arrest the individuals associated with it,” said Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder. "Moving forward, we will continue to work toward this common goal with continuous exchanges of resources and intelligence to keep our communities, residents and our children safe.”

Photo: ICE