ICE arrests suspected gang members in N.C.

Tuesday, October 09, 2007

(10/09/07 -- RALEIGH) (WTVD) -- U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) partnered with Raleigh- and Winston-Salem-area law enforcement officers to arrest 93 foreign nationals who now face federal criminal charges or deportation, as part of Operation Community Shield, a nationwide effort to combat violent street gang activity.

The arrests are part of a multi-city enforcement operation over the summer to dismantle the criminal organizations across the country. Agents and officers arrested 50 gang members and their associates in the Raleigh area and 43 in Winston-Salem. At a news conference in Washington, D.C. today, ICE Assistant Secretary Julie L. Myers announced that ICE has arrested 1,313 gang members, gang associates, and illegal aliens across the country since June.

"Violent foreign-born gang members represent a threat to communities across the nation. Working closely with our federal, state and local partners, Operation Community Shield has resulted in the arrest of more than 7,500 gang members and associates since its inception, and more than 1,300 just this summer," said Julie L. Myers, Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for ICE. "Violent foreign-born gang members and their associates have more than worn out their welcome, and to them I have one message: good riddance."

ICE agents worked with multiple local, state and federal partners to identify and apprehend these gang members and their associates. Some of the partnering agencies include: Alamance County Sheriff's Office, Gaston County Sheriff's Office, Raleigh Police Department, Wake County Sheriff's Office, and the Durham Police Department. "Gang members terrorize our neighborhoods and threaten public safety," said Terry S. Johnson, Alamance County Sheriff. "This is local and federal partnership at its best. We look forward to the continued coordination between Alamance County and ICE to help protect our community."

The foreign nationals arrested during the enforcement are linked to nearly 20 different street gangs, including MS-13, Surenos 13, and Brown Pride.

Operation Community Shield is a comprehensive initiative launched by ICE in 2005 to disrupt and dismantle transnational, violent street gangs. Operation Community Shield allows the federal agents to use powerful immigration and customs authorities in a methodical national campaign against criminal street gangs.

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