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Sessions ties lax immigration laws to rise of drug cartels

Eagle-Tribune - 9/22/2017

Sept. 22--BOSTON -- Attorney General Jeff Sessions blamed loose immigration policies for a proliferation of drug cartels that he says prey on immigrant communities while peddling fentanyl and other deadly opioids on the nation's streets.

In remarks Thursday at the U.S. attorney's office in the federal courthouse in Boston, Sessions called the transnational gang MS-13 "one of the most violent and ruthless gangs on our streets."

"Their motto is kill, rape and control," he said. "They have destroyed communities, the lives of hard working, law abiding immigrants, and left devastation and misery in their wake."

"This kind of thing is unacceptable in our country," Sessions said. "We must dismember this group, member by member."

The gang, also called Mara Salvatrucha, started in Los Angeles in the mid-1980s. Authorities say it has more than 30,000 members worldwide and more than 10,000 in the U.S.

Last year, federal authorities charged more than 50 members of the MS-13 gang in Massachusetts with felony racketeering, drug trafficking and weapons charges.

In February, President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at combating transnational drug gangs, requiring federal agencies to increase intelligence sharing with state and local law enforcement.

Sessions said tightening federal immigration laws is key to breaking up the gangs. He singled out the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy, which has offered protection from deportation immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally by parents or by parents who overstayed their visas.

"The gangs use this program as a means to recruit members," Sessions said. "We cannot allow young people to be brought into this life of crime."

Trump has pledged to end the Obama-era policy that protects an estimated 800,000 individuals, with a six-month delay intended to allow Congress to act. His decision has prompted protests in Boston and elsewhere from immigrants rights groups.

In April, Sessions announced a new wave of immigration enforcement, directing prosecutors to prioritize immigration cases and announcing the hiring of several new immigration judges to handle the extra workload. His directive came less than a month after he forced the resignations of 46 U.S. attorneys, many of them appointed by the Obama administration.

Since then, Acting U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts William Weinreb's office has ramped up prosecution of previously deported immigrants who've been charged, convicted or sentenced for illegal reentry -- a felony that carries up to two years in prison.

Several people arrested in the break up of a Lawrence-based heroin and fentanyl ring in June were said to be in the country illegally. Leaders of the drug ring even bragged on wiretaps about being deported multiple times, according to prosecutors.

Sessions made no mention in his remarks about sanctuary cities, which he has accused of sheltering drug traffickers and criminal gangs. But, following his remarks, Sessions held a closed-door meeting with police chiefs representing several sanctuary cities, including Chief James Fitzpatrick of Lawrence.

Immigration advocates and some Democratic lawmakers say requiring local police to cooperate with federal agents makes communities less safe because it dissuades people from reporting crime for fear of deportation. Critics say sanctuary cities shield dangerous criminals from arrest.

While the policies vary, six communities in Massachusetts -- Boston, Somerville, Cambridge, Amherst, Northampton, Lawrence and most recently Salem -- have declared themselves sanctuaries or passed ordinances that restrict cooperation with federal immigration agents.

California, New York, Rhode Island, Connecticut and at least 340 communities have taken similar steps.

Among those in attendance at Thursday's event was Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson, a conservative Republican and vocal opponent of sanctuary cities.

Outside the federal courthouse, where security was noticeably tight, dozens of protestors gathered to denounce Sessions' visit. Many were critical of the former Alabama senator's crackdown on illegal immigration.

"We came out to let Jeff Sessions know he isn't welcome here," said Marty Peterson, of Cambridge. "His racist immigration policies are tearing families apart and it needs to stop."

Carol Rose, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, said the Trump administration's policies on immigration, women's rights and criminal justice are "counterproductive to civil rights and liberties as well as public safety."

"We're out here to raise our voices," she said. "We're not going to tolerate the federal government coming here to impose these kinds of views and policies."

Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group's newspapers and websites. Email him at cwade@cnhi.com

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(c)2017 The Eagle-Tribune (North Andover, Mass.)

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