 ICE arresting a suspected gang member | |
| Date | February 15 – March 21, 2016 (2016-02-15 – 2016-03-21) |
|---|---|
| Location | California, Texas, Georgia, Puerto Rico |
| Outcome | Successful project: 1,133 arrested, $70,000 and 20 kilos of narcotics seized |
| Operation Community Shield | |
|---|---|
Project Shadowfire was an American police investigation in early 2016 that resulted in the arrest of 1,133 people, 915 of whom were suspected members of "multinational organized criminal gangs", involved in murder, racketeering, drug smuggling and human trafficking from Mexico and elsewhere. The majority of the arrests took place in Los Angeles and San Francisco in California; El Paso and Houston, Texas; Atlanta, Georgia, and San Juan, Puerto Rico. 70,000 US, 150 firearms and more than 20 kg narcotics were seized.
Of the 1133 arrested, 1001 were charged with criminal offenses, and 132 were arrested for immigration violations. Over 900 of those arrested were believed to be members or associates of MS-13, Sureños, Norteños, Bloods and other prison gangs. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials confirmed that most of those arrested were American citizens, though 239 were foreign nationals from Central America, the Caribbean, Asia and Europe.
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Response
According to Peter Edge of Homeland Security Investigations in an interview with ABC News, gangs in the United States have seen an increase in prevalence. He noted that gangs are becoming more organized as gang members enter the country, whether legally or illegally, and engage in various recruiting activities. The objective is for these criminal gang members to undergo judicial processing and, if applicable, be deported if they are not citizens of the United States.
Former ICE Director Sarah Saldaña issued a statement regarding Project Shadowfire, stating that it exemplifies ICE's ongoing efforts, which began over a decade ago under Operation Community Shield, to target violent gang members and their associates. The operation aims to eliminate the violence inflicted by these gangs on communities and disrupt the financial resources that support transnational organized crime groups operating abroad.
See also
References
- ^ "More than 1,100 arrested in ICE operation targeting MS-13, other gangs". Fox News Latino. 2016-03-28. Retrieved 2016-03-31.
- ^ "ICE arrests more than 1,100 in operation targeting gangs". US. Immigration & Customs Enforcement. 2016-03-28. Retrieved 2016-03-31.
Category:Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations
Categories:- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations
- Illegal immigration to the United States
- Battles and operations of the Mexican drug war involving the United States
- Law enforcement operations of the Mexican drug war
- February 2016 events in the United States
- March 2016 events in the United States
- 2016 in California
- 2016 in Texas
- 2016 in Georgia (U.S. state)
- 2016 in Puerto Rico