Monday, October 30, 2006

Gangs Across The Border

The Dallas Morning News has an article detailing gang activity that comes and goes across our porous borders. This is just another example of the government failing to protect the nation.

A recent incident in September highlights the problem:

A Texas National Guard soldier with night-vision equipment spied four figures slipping through the brush and alerted Border Patrol agents.

The men were arrested, and one in particular stood out for the extensive tattoos across his face, body and arms.

A fingerprint check showed Santos Chileno-Gomez, a 23-year-old Salvadoran, had been deported for an assault on a Long Island, N.Y., police officer. His lengthy criminal record – and the tattoos – labeled him as a member of Mara Salvatrucha 13, a vicious international street gang that federal authorities call one of the most violent in the U.S.


What adds to the severity of this incident is that Gomez is only one of 76 MS-13 gang members apprehended by the Border Patrol in the Rio Grande Valley during the just-ended fiscal year. That's up by 62 from the previous year.

Why do we deport those who will only return? An illegal assaulting a police officer should result in, at the very least, a long prison term. Why are we tolerating this?

The problem is not new and the government has been aware of it, but still nothing of any consequence is being done. All that comes from Washington is empty rhetoric. Election day is next week. Let the government hear from you.






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