The President

Trump Pledges To 'Liberate' US From MS-13 Gang

President Trump's administration has made cracking down on the MS-13 gang a top priority.

Trump Pledges To 'Liberate' US From MS-13 Gang
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Article by Matt Picht
SMS
July 28, 2017

After President Donald Trump's push for health care reform was defeated in the Senate, the president went to Long Island, New York, to address a much different problem.

Trump said during his speech: "We're liberating our American towns — can you believe I'm saying that? I'm talking about liberating our towns; it's like a scene in a movie."

Trump's talking about his administration's fight against the MS-13 gang. It was originally established in Los Angeles during the 1980s but has expanded throughout the U.S. and Central America.

Sessions Wants To Be Tough On Crime, Starting With MS-13

Sessions Wants To Be Tough On Crime, Starting With MS-13

Meeting with representatives of several law enforcement agencies, Attorney General Jeff Sessions laid out the need to take down MS-13 and other gangs.

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The gang is estimated to have thousands of members across the nation. A recent series of brutal murders in Long Island attributed to MS-13 attracted national attention to the gang.

Trump's Department of Justice has made cracking down on the gang a high priority. Attorney General Jeff Sessions recently visited El Salvador to praise the arrest of hundreds of MS-13 members by the country's government.

But CNN notes there's some concern that the administration's aggressive policies on illegal immigration could make it harder for gang victims to seek police help.