Sessions Votes to Crack Down on Violent Criminals

I released the following statement applauding the passage of a critical measure to fight our nation’s most notorious street gangs:

My first priority is to keep American families safe and uphold our nation’s rule of law. However, dangerous gangs like MS-13 have exploited our immigration laws who flood our communities with crime, violence, and illicit activity. Over the last two years alone, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested over 8,000 gang related criminals. According to the DOJ, the transnational gang, MS-13, that is notoriously violent and comprised of members mostly from Central America, has 10,000 members inside the United States who engage in gang activities that pose a direct threat to our children, families, and communities.

To make our neighborhoods safer, the Department of Justice (DOJ) established the Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative in 2001, which has successfully reduced violent crime for many years, but recently, funding for the program has significantly declined. It is critical that our local and state law enforcement agencies are always equipped with the tools necessary to target gang violence and crack down on these thugs. Today I proudly voted to ensure these resources are available so we can actively remove these criminals from our communities and protect our families. I am extremely pleased that this important piece of legislation is heading straight to the President’s desk to be signed and become the law of the land.