BOSTON (AP/WHDH) — U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions says authorities will hunt down gang members and bring them to justice.
Sessions told law enforcement officials in Boston on Thursday that officials must continue working to dismantle MS-13, a violent street gang known for its gruesome tactics.
The street gang started in Los Angeles in the mid-1980s. Authorities say it has more than 30,000 members worldwide and more than 10,000 in the U.S.
Sessions says gang members are exploiting the unaccompanied minor program to come to the U.S. as “wolves in sheep clothing.”
He says the country cannot let gangs prey on communities. He says, “We will hunt you down.” He also praised law enforcement for what he called a “massive takedown” of 60 MS-13 members in Massachusetts alone.
Sessions also revealed new information about the FBI’s annual crime numbers before they are released next week. Sessions said “tragically” the statistics will show violent crime has risen.
Outside federal court, protesters with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) chanted and carried signs urging Sessions to go home.
Sessions’ trip to Boston included a briefing from local officials on MS-13. He also held a roundtable discussion with local police chiefs.
Statement from Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey:
“We need this administration to give more than lip service to confronting the opioid epidemic. We need a clear commitment to address this national public health crisis with the resources the American people need and deserve. After months of inaction, I hope Attorney General Sessions will take the lessons of his trip back to Washington, and things will change.”
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