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55 arrested in Arizona in connection with gangs, homicide, kidnapping
Sierra Vista Herald ^ | Yasmeen Pitts O’Keefe, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Posted on 05/14/2017 6:40:05 AM PDT by SandRat

PHOENIX — A six-week nationwide gang operation led by U.S. Immigration and Customs

Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) concluded this weekend with 1,378 arrests across the U.S., 55 in Arizona – the largest gang surge conducted by HSI to date. The operation targeted gang members and associates involved in transnational criminal activity including drug trafficking, weapons smuggling, human smuggling, sex trafficking, murder and racketeering.

Arizona arrests included 48 U.S. citizens, seven foreign nationals, 16 confirmed gang members, and seven gang associates. Numerous state, local and federal law enforcement partners, including ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), participated in the HSI-led operation, which ran March 26 to May 6.

“HSI is committed to combating gang violence and criminal activity in Arizona. The success of this operation is directly attributed to the ongoing collaboration with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners,” said Scott Brown, special agent in charge of HSI Phoenix. “Together, we dealt a serious blow to gang members and other serious criminals as we strive to make our communities safer.”

Of the 16 gang members locally arrested, 12 are U.S. citizens and four are foreign nationals two of which are wanted in connection with homicides committed in the U.S.

One of the many individuals encountered by HSI Phoenix special agents is a U.S. citizen and member of the Aryan Brotherhood who was arrested in Surprise, Arizona, after barricading himself inside his home.

Individuals are confirmed as gang members if they admit membership in a gang; have been convicted of violating Title 18 USC 521 or any other federal or state law criminalizing or imposing civil consequences for gang-related activity; or if they meet a combination of other criteria such as having tattoos identifying a specific gang or being identified as a gang member by a reliable source.

HSI enforcement actions occurred around the country, with the greatest activity taking place in the Houston, New York, Atlanta and Newark areas.

Operation Community Shield

Project New Dawn is the latest example of ICE’s ongoing efforts, begun in 2005 under Operation Community Shield, to target violent gang members and their associates, eradicate the violence they inflict upon our communities and stop the cash flow to transnational organized crime groups. Since 2005, HSI special agents working in conjunction with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies have made more than 47,000 gang-related arrests.

Operation Community Shield is a global initiative in which HSI collaborates with federal, state, local and foreign law enforcement partners to combat the growth and proliferation of transnational criminal street gangs, prison gangs and outlaw motorcycle gangs in the United States and abroad. Through its domestic and international Operation Community Shield task forces, HSI leverages its worldwide presence and expansive statutory and civil enforcement authorities to mitigate the threats posed by these global networks, often through the tracing and seizing of cash, weapons and other illicit proceeds.

Partnerships with state, local, federal and international law enforcement agencies are critical to the success of HSI gang enforcement operations. Law enforcement partners provide actionable intelligence, which is critical in the targeting of gangs and their membership for enforcement actions. HSI special agents use intelligence gathered from surge operations to pursue complex criminal enterprise investigations and federal prosecutions.

MS-13

As part of Operation Community Shield, HSI has affected more than 4,300 criminal arrests and nearly 3,000 civil immigration arrests of MS-13 leaders, members and associates, including criminal arrests for Racketeering Influence Corrupt Organizations (RICO), Violent Crime in Aid of Racketeering (VICAR) and gang conspiracy violations investigated by HSI Baltimore, HSI DC, HSI Charlotte, HSI New York, HSI Long Island, HSI Newark, HSI Boston, HSI San Francisco, HSI San Jose, HSI Los Angeles, HSI Detroit, HSI Nashville, HSI Houston, and our state and local law enforcement partners.

In October 2012, HSI worked with the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control to designate MS-13, the first designation of a transnational criminal street gang. As a result of the designation, any property or property interests in the U.S., or in the possession or control of U.S. persons in which MS-13 has an interest, are blocked.

HSI’s National Gang Unit

HSI’s National Gang Unit oversees HSI’s expansive transnational gang portfolio and enables special agents to bring the fight to these criminal enterprises through the development of uniform enforcement and intelligence-sharing strategies.

Recent NGU-led operations have included: Southern Tempest in 2011, targeting gangs affiliated with drug trafficking; Project Nefarious in 2012, targeting gangs involved in human smuggling and trafficking; Project Southbound in 2014, targeting the Sureños, the fasting growing transnational gang in the U.S., Project Wildfire in 2015, and Project Shadowfire in 2016.

To report suspicious activity, call ICE's 24-hour toll-free hotline at: 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or visit ice.gov.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; News/Current Events; US: Arizona
KEYWORDS: aliens; arizona; criminalillegals; gangs; ice; illegals; illegalscrimes; illegalsgangs; second100days; trumpdhs
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1 posted on 05/14/2017 6:40:05 AM PDT by SandRat
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To: SandRat

I can’t determine if these “Aryans” were helping Latino crime syndicates or some sort of international Aryan cartel.

Would this mean they were trafficking in whites or some other race?


2 posted on 05/14/2017 6:46:44 AM PDT by ConservativeMind (Trump: Befuddling Democrats, Republicans, and the Media for the benefit of the US and all mankind.)
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To: SandRat

i wish more were illegals so we could deport them.
I wish they would arrest family and friends who aid these criminal activities by housing, feeding, driving, whatever. it won’t stop by just arresting certain ones, it’s many times generational “family culture/tradition” so they think it’s ok to grow up and do similar.


3 posted on 05/14/2017 6:53:45 AM PDT by b4me (If Jesus came to set us free, why are so many professed Believers still in chains?)
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To: SandRat
This article makes an oblique reference to MS-13 as one of the gangs targeted in this sweep of 1300+ criminals. Yet, despite the indubitable number of perps involved with La Raza, Ms-13, and other drug fueled gangs, the ONE individual mentioned,

One of the many individuals encountered by HSI Phoenix special agents is a U.S. citizen and member of the Aryan Brotherhood..

is some doofus white guy. One. Probably the only.

4 posted on 05/14/2017 6:54:44 AM PDT by Thommas (The snout of the camel is in the tent..)
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To: ConservativeMind

One of the many individuals encountered by HSI Phoenix special agents is a U.S. citizen and member of the Aryan Brotherhood.

Now do you understand. NeoNAZI JERKS, A** Holes.


5 posted on 05/14/2017 7:03:35 AM PDT by SandRat (Duty, Honor, Country)
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To: SandRat

Drop them all off at McCain’s estate.


6 posted on 05/14/2017 7:12:16 AM PDT by Mouton (We have the best elected governments that money can buy)
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To: SandRat

55 in Arizona?

Could go into South Tucson and march out about 3000.

Same story for Guadalupe and South Phoenix.

Must be tough to be an ICE agent, realize that you have absolutely no idea what’s going on.

Maybe they get all their intel from the SPLC.


7 posted on 05/14/2017 7:17:24 AM PDT by Regulator
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To: SandRat

My guilty pleasure is watching Live PD on A&E Channel and they showed some of this live from AZ on Friday night.


8 posted on 05/14/2017 7:21:22 AM PDT by pinkandgreenmom
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To: Thommas

I noticed that too.


9 posted on 05/14/2017 7:28:23 AM PDT by Rusty0604
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To: SandRat

For those of you not familiar with the Phoenix Valley, the suburb or Surprise is about as far outside the inner city as you can get. It is the home of a couple of Cactus League spring training camps, Sun City West, Sun City Grand, Sun Valley, Sun City Festival and more chain restaurants for old people that eat at 4:00 that you can shake a stick at.


10 posted on 05/14/2017 7:33:29 AM PDT by KC Burke (If all the world is a stage, I would like to request my lighting be adjusted.)
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To: KC Burke

HEY! I eat at 5 or 6.


11 posted on 05/14/2017 7:42:43 AM PDT by SandRat (Duty, Honor, Country)
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To: SandRat

I always tell the young clerks, oh, I don’t want that — that’s what those old-people get.


12 posted on 05/14/2017 7:50:29 AM PDT by KC Burke (If all the world is a stage, I would like to request my lighting be adjusted.)
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To: SandRat
“HEY! I eat at 5 or 6.”

Those are the “second” and “third” sittings at those restaurants. Suck it up, you only have an hour to eat, then your table goes to the next “fleet” of codgers.

13 posted on 05/14/2017 8:56:39 AM PDT by vette6387
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To: SandRat

Who would have ever thought we’d see the day when our “ICE spokesperson” was Yasmeen Pitts O’Keefe.


14 posted on 05/14/2017 8:58:52 AM PDT by vette6387
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To: KC Burke

Sun City Festival is in Buckeye, and I’m done with dinner by 4pm.


15 posted on 05/14/2017 9:01:50 AM PDT by Henchster (Free Republic - the BEST site on the web!)
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To: SandRat

HOORAY I.C.E. officers.


16 posted on 05/14/2017 9:31:36 AM PDT by PGalt
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To: SandRat

More Trump effect...


17 posted on 05/14/2017 10:29:25 AM PDT by dragnet2 (Diversion and evasion are tools of deceit)
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To: ConservativeMind

The AB suspect had nothing to do with Mexican/MS drug gangs except he had too had a warrant for his arrest.


18 posted on 05/14/2017 10:35:30 AM PDT by dragnet2 (Diversion and evasion are tools of deceit)
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To: Henchster

That’s true. Buckeye extended it’s reach to the north, I forgot about that.

There isn’t anyplace to eat out there however.

The other thing I forgot to stress is that Surprise (and surrounding areas) sure have a lot of snow-birds.


19 posted on 05/14/2017 11:02:11 AM PDT by KC Burke (If all the world is a stage, I would like to request my lighting be adjusted.)
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To: SandRat
Living in Phoenix, I just hope they get more of the criminals off our street
20 posted on 05/31/2017 9:39:03 PM PDT by topcat125 (criminals, deport,)
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