Ted Poe: “the violent El Salvadorian gang, MS-13, continues to spread violence in American cities. These thugs started in the…”

“the violent El Salvadorian gang, MS-13, continues to spread violence in American cities. These thugs started in the eighties and have caused murder and mayhem in Central America. The son of a Honduran president was kidnapped and murdered in 1997. In 2002, gang members gunned down 28 people, including seven kids, on a school bus in Tegucigalpa. Experts now say these gangsters are the number one problem in Central American countries. Recently, even Mexico stepped up campaigns to arrest these criminals, claiming them to be a threat to national security. The brutal MS-13 gang has acted in major cities in the United States and are involved in everything from drug and human smuggling to murder. Many of these gangsters are illegally in the United States. Ironically, many major cities that are sanctuary cities for illegals, all in the name of compassion, are hotbeds for MS-13. These cities make law enforcement and deportation hard for the Feds. Mr. Speaker, cities that give aid and comfort to illegals should be more concerned about protecting the safety of citizens than harboring and hiding out criminal illegals. And that's just the way it is.”