The street gang that has been targeted through the national Operation Community Shield is called Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13 , and began in El Salvador and took hold in Los Angeles, California. This was the first effort of its size to combat the group’s rising popularity and lethality. US membership has risen to about 8,000, and gangsters often commit crimes?namely amputations and other maiming–with machetes as their signature weapon. According to LAPD gang expert Officer Frank Flores, “Within the United States, these guys pose as much a threat to the well-being of ordinary citizens as any foreign terrorist group.” Half of those detained in this raid had prior convictions or arrests, and all can be deported for immigration violations.

This effort was run by agents representing numerous federal agencies and involved local and state intelligence from New York, Washington, Los Angeles, Baltimore, Newark, Miami, and Dallas. Said ICE Director Michael Garcia, “Our goal is simple: Operation Community Shield aims to dismantle the MS-13 criminal gang by removing gang members from the streets and from the community.”