103 Alleged Honduran Gang Members Arrested (in the US)

[Rose Siding]

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The government on Monday announced the arrests of 103 alleged members of MS-13, a street gang rooted in Central America where members have been known to behead enemies and attack with grenades and machetes.

The arrests, in seven cities since early January, are the first of a nationwide crackdown on Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, which is one of the largest and most violent street gangs in the United States. Federal officials estimate between 8,000 and 10,000 MS-13 members live in 31 states -- the majority of them in the country illegally. There have been machete attacks in U.S. cities along the East Coast.
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Half of the suspects charged in the sting, nicknamed ``Operation Community Shield,'' have prior arrests or convictions for violent crimes, including murder, sodomy, assault and arson. All of them can be deported for violating immigration laws, said Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Michael J. Garcia.
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Last month, former Homeland Security Deputy Secretary James Loy called MS-13 an emerging threat to the United States, referring to the gang and the al-Qaida terrorist organization in the same breath in testimony to Congress. Garcia said Monday that while there is no definitive link between MS-13 and al-Qaida, the gang's operations show that ``you have to accept that as a homeland security risk as well.''

http://nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Gang-Arrests.html