Jodey Arrington: “In 2014, four MS-13 gang members brutally murdered a 14-year-old boy from Texas with a machete. Just this year, two…”

“In 2014, four MS-13 gang members brutally murdered a 14-year-old boy from Texas with a machete. Just this year, two MS-13 gang members laughed and waved at the cameras as they faced trial in a Houston courtroom for the kidnapping, rape, and murder of young girls. These are just two examples that reflect the horrific and gruesome reality of what gangs across this country are capable of. There are as many as 100,000 gang members in my home State of Texas, several of whom are linked to Mexican cartels, who help them distribute drugs and traffic people and weapons. Nearly 60 percent of identified prison gang members in Texas are serving sentences for violent crimes, including homicide, robbery, and assault. MS-13 is one of the most dangerous gangs in our State, with almost 500 members throughout Texas. They have been described by the Houston police chief as a ``transnational terrorist organization,'' the ``worst of the worst,'' and a ``cancer.'' It is State and local law enforcement officers like him, as well gang task forces, who are on the front lines, putting their own lives in danger to deal with these heinous criminals. Today, I rise in support of Mrs. Comstock's bill, which will do what we should have been doing a long time ago, and that is giving local entities the ability to expeditiously deport gang members who are here illegally and ensure they never are able to come back to the United States. Our first job is to keep Americans safe. H.R.…”