(CBS News) — Operation Matador, a joint law enforcement effort led by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations team, is cracking down on MS-13, or Mara Salvatrucha, and other trans-national gangs.
Hundreds of accused gang members and associates are under arrest, but its violence is spreading in American neighborhoods.
The target of the pre-dawn raid was a suspected member of MS-13 who had illegally entered the U.S. The team of 12 immigration agents and local police expected the 20-year-old suspect to be armed.
“He entered the country illegally so – and then he went through the immigration process and a judge ordered him removed,” said Jason Molina, assistant special agent in charge.
“We know he’s an MS-13 member?” Brennan said.
“Yes. We have information, we have pictures of him actually flashing gang signs,” Molina said.
But gang membership is not a crime, and the agents did not have a criminal warrant. They only weapons they found were “either pellet guns or BB guns,” Molina said.
But Molina’s team was still able to make the arrest based on the suspect’s immigration status – part of the unique mandate of the Homeland Security investigations unit of ICE. An hour later, they nabbed a second suspect. Molina said he is an MS-13 associate.
Read more and see video, here.
