Via Statesman:
The same week that President Donald Trump pledged to decimate an international gang’s presence in the U.S., a state report included the group, MS-13, in a class referred to as “the greatest gang threat to Texas.”
The Texas Department of Public Safety’s annual report on gangs in the state says continued activity from criminal organizations such as Tango Blast, the Texas Mexican Mafia, the Bloods, the Crips and the Sureños poses a significant threat to public safety in Travis County and surrounding areas.
The 2017 Texas Gang Threat Assessment identifies gangs from every corner of Texas and ranks them according to the threat they pose to the public.
The assessment, released Tuesday, looks at each gang’s relationship with Mexican drug cartels, transnational criminal activity, level of violence, prevalence throughout the state, total strength, and involvement in human smuggling and trafficking, as well as several other factors to determine where it falls on a three-tier scale.
Among those listed as Tier 1 gangs operating in the state over the past year were familiar groups such as Tango Blast and its affiliated cliques, the Latin Kings, the Texas Mexican Mafia and Mara Salvatrucha, commonly referred to as MS-13.
“These four gangs continue to pose the greatest gang threat to Texas due to their relationships with Mexican cartels, consistent transnational criminal activity, statewide presence, and a high propensity for violence, among other significant factors,” the assessment said.
In a speech Friday, President Trump renewed his pledge to “decimate” MS-13, which he called a “vile criminal cartel.” He referred to members as animals and expressed his support for law enforcement.
“We have your backs 100 percent,” he said. “Not like the old days.”
Attorney General Jeff Sessions traveled to El Salvador on Thursday to talk about gang violence and meet with local law enforcement officials and former MS-13 members.
The most significant Tier 1 gangs identified in DPS’s Region Six, which covers most of Central Texas, including Travis County, were Tango Orejon, San Antonio’s Tango clique, Austin’s Tango La Capirucha and the Texas Mexican Mafia.
The largest and most active street gangs in the region, however, included gangs catalogued in Tiers 2 and 3 such as the Bloods, Sureños, Crips and Gangster Disciples, and strong prison gangs include the Texas Syndicate, the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas and the Aryan Circle.
The report also said MS-13 has a presence in Travis County, though it characterizes the state as mostly a passing point for the gang.
“While the increase in the presence of the MS-13 grows, it appears that Texas is continually used (as) a transitional zone, as gang members are traveling onward to the U.S. East Coast,” the report says.
The DPS report highlights the challenges and successes of law enforcement agencies across the state charged with disrupting criminal activity of these organizations.
A documented member of the Sureños made headlines earlier this month when he was arrested by immigration officials after being released from the Travis County Jail despite an immigration detainer being filed against him.
The man, identified by authorities as Julio Cesar Mendoza-Caballero, 33, had been deported four times and had a criminal history that included convictions for theft of a firearm, unlawfully carrying a weapon and prostitution.