Latest news with #MaraSalvatrucha
Daily Mail
20 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Trump says choice to bring deported 'Maryland man' Kilmar Abrego Garcia back 'wasn't my decision'
President Donald Trump told NBC News that it was the decision of the Department of Justice to return to the United States Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who had been wrongfully deported to El Salvador in March. During a Saturday phone interview with NBC News' Kristen Welker, Trump was asked what went into his decision to bring Garcia back. 'Well, that wasn't my decision. The Department of Justice decided to do it that way, and that's fine, as far as -- there are two ways you could have done it, and they decided to do it that way,' Trump told Welker. 'I think for speed, and, you know, it should be a very easy case,' Trump continued. Welker then further pressed the Commander in Chief, asking, 'you think, you think he's going to be convicted-- you think it's going to be an easy case?' 'I think it should be. It should be. You have two different cases. This would go faster,' Trump replied. Welker then asked Trump what he thought of Democrats who advocated for Garcia's return, including Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), who made a public case for Garcia being denied due process. 'He's a loser. The guy's a loser. They're going to lose because of that same thing. That's not what people want to hear,' Trump responded. 'He's trying to defend a man who's got a horrible record of abuse, abuse of women in particular. No, he's a total loser-- this guy,' Trump concluded. Documents made public by the Department of Justice show that Garcia 'was validated as a member of the Mara Salvatrucha (MSl3) Gang' in 2019, also noting at the time that he did not claim 'fear of returning to his country.' This undated photo provided by CASA, an immigrant advocacy organization, in April 2025, shows Kilmar Abrego Garcia During a press conference that took place Friday as Garcia was returning to the United States, Trump's Attorney General Pam Bondi announced a series of charges against Garcia, who was allegedly part of an international smuggling ring. 'Over the past nine years, Abrego Garcia has played a significant role in an alien smuggling ring,' Bondi noted Friday. 'They found this was his full time job, not a contractor. He was a smuggler of humans and children and women,' Bondi continued. A CBS News poll released Sunday showed that 54% of respondents approved of the Trump Administration's program to deport immigrants in the United States illegally. 53% of poll respondents said they believed that the Administration is prioritizing the deportation of dangerous criminals. Notably, CBS News also found that 55% of poll respondents liked the goals of Trump's deportation program, while 56% disliked his approach.
Newsweek
03-05-2025
- Newsweek
'MS-13 Gang Members' Stab 3 Virginia Corrections Officers, Officials Allege
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Three Wallens Ridge corrections officers suffered knife wounds in an attack by inmates linked to the MS-13 gang, according to the Virginia Department of Corrections (VDOC). Newsweek contacted the VDOC for comment on Saturday via online inquiry form. What To Know The attack took place at around 9:45 a.m. Friday and involved six inmates, of which five were MS-13 members from El Salvador who had entered the United States illegally, the VDOC said. They had been convicted of a range of crimes including first and second degree murder, aggravated murder and rape. The sixth individual participating in the attack was an American confirmed MS-13 gang member serving a sentence for second degree murder, said authorities. In addition to the three officers who were stabbed, two corrections officers suffered minor wounds responding to the attack. All five were taken away for medical treatment. Both officers who were lightly injured have since been discharged while two of those stabbed remain in hospital in a stable condition. What Is the MS-13 Gang? MS-13, or Mara Salvatrucha, is a violent transnational criminal gang that originated in Los Angeles, California, in the 1980s. It was initially formed by Salvadoran immigrants who had fled their country's civil war. Over time, MS-13 expanded throughout Central America (especially El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala) and across various parts of the United States and Mexico. President Donald Trump designated M3-13 as a foreign terrorist organization shortly after his second presidential inauguration in January 2025. Stock photograph showing a Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang member sentenced to more than 200 years in prison shows off his tattoos alluding to his gang inside the Counter-Terrorism Confinement Centre (CECOT) mega-prison, where hundreds of... Stock photograph showing a Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang member sentenced to more than 200 years in prison shows off his tattoos alluding to his gang inside the Counter-Terrorism Confinement Centre (CECOT) mega-prison, where hundreds of members of the MS-13 and 18 Street gangs are being held, in Tecoluca, El Salvador on January 27, 2025. There is no suggestion the individual pictured was involved in Friday's attack. More MARVIN RECINOS/AFP/GETTY In March the Mexican government said it had seized Francisco Javier Roman-Bardales, an alleged MS-13 gang leader who featured on the FBI's Top Ten Most Wanted list. Roman-Bardales, aged 47, was arrested for a range of offenses including acts of violence toward civilians and rival gang members. The following month the Department of Justice offered a $5 million reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Yulan Andony Archaga Carías, who is alleged to be the leader of MS-13 in Honduras. What People Are Saying In a statement VDOC Director Chad Dotson said: "Five of the individuals responsible for this senseless attack should never have been in this country in the first place. "Every single day, our officers put their lives on the line to ensure public safety for the more than 8.8 million people across the Commonwealth. This attack is an example of the dangers they face when they show up to work every day. Our officers are heroes, and I commend the team at Wallens Ridge for their swift response." What Happens Next Friday's attack will likely increase support for the Trump administration's efforts to crack down on illegal immigration and transnational criminal gangs such as MS-13. However it is unclear how effective these operations will be.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump administration designates two Haitian gangs as ‘terrorist groups'
The United States has labelled the Viv Ansanm and Gran Grif gangs in Haiti 'foreign terrorist organisations', a move that follows a trend under President Donald Trump of issuing terrorist designations against criminal groups in Latin America. As part of Friday's announcement, Secretary of State Marco Rubio explained that the two gangs have spread violence and chaos in Haiti, where armed groups exert substantial control over much of the capital, Port-au-Prince. 'The age of impunity for those supporting violence in Haiti is over,' Rubio said in a news statement. 'Haitian gangs, including the Viv Ansanm coalition and Gran Grif, are the primary source of instability and violence in Haiti. They are a direct threat to US national security interests in our region.' The Trump administration has projected a hard line against criminal groups in Latin America, often connecting those efforts to domestic priorities like stemming irregular migration and drug trafficking. In February, the US also designated eight drug-trafficking and criminal groups as terrorist organisations, including gangs such as Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), Tren de Aragua and several Mexican drug cartels. While such groups carry out acts of violence and intimidation, experts have typically differentiated between them and traditional 'terrorist' organisations that typically have explicit political goals. The designation of 'foreign terrorist organisation' makes any member of a given group inadmissible for entry into the US. It also bars offering 'material support or resources' to the group — an element of legal jeopardy that could inadvertently penalise individuals in areas where gangs are deeply embedded in the local economy and Trump and his allies have sought to up the ante against criminal organisations and cartels, blaming them for the flow of undocumented migration and illicit drug-trafficking into the US. In the past, he and other Republican leaders have even suggested the US could carry out military strikes on countries such as Mexico to address the threat of gangs, causing alarm about possible violations of territorial sovereignty. While US-Mexico relations remain strong, critics fear aggressive moves — including the use of the terrorism designation for Mexican cartels — could undermine cooperation as the two countries address organised crime. In Haiti, the threat of gangs is widespread. For instance, the Viv Ansanm coalition, whose name translates to 'Live Together', is thought to control as much as 85 percent of Port-au-Prince, preventing commercial flights from arriving and restricting necessary supplies like food and medicine. With many Haitian civilians facing hunger, displacement and violence, critics fear the new designation could make it even harder to send necessary supplies to the country, given the need to negotiate with the gangs. 'The first consequences will be on the humanitarian and international cooperation, which is basically the only thing preventing the people in Haiti from starving,' Romain Le Cour, an expert with Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, told The Associated Press. Experts point out that the gangs often charge tolls for movement in and around their territory. The 'terrorist' designation could make payment a criminal offence in the US. 'It could function as a de facto embargo,' said Jake Johnston, international research director at the Washington-based Center for Economic and Policy Research. 'The gangs exercise tremendous control over the commerce of the country,' he added. 'Doing any kind of business with Haiti or in Haiti is going to carry much greater risk.' Gang control over Haiti has increased in recent years, particularly after the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise. His death led to a power vacuum, and no federal election has been held since, eroding public trust in state institutions. The gangs have exploited that vacuum to exert control. More than one million people have been internally displaced by the resulting violence, and the United Nations estimates that 5.7 million residents — nearly half the country — do not have enough food to eat. Kenya has led a UN-backed international security mission tasked with bolstering local police as they combat the gangs. But that mission has been heavily reliant on US support, some of which Trump has frozen since taking office. That task force has struggled to make an impact thus far, and in February, one of the Kenyan police officers was shot and killed as part of the mission, its first known death. Sceptics have also questioned the efficacy of the international group, given the long and disastrous history of foreign interventions in Haiti, including by the US. Trump has also attempted to scrap programmes like Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and humanitarian parole that allow Haitians to live legally in the US. An estimated 520,694 Haitians are protected under TPS alone. But under Trump, the Department of Homeland Security plans to fold the TPS programme for Haitians by August.
Al Jazeera
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Trump administration designates two Haitian gangs as ‘terrorist groups'
The United States has labelled the Viv Ansanm and Gran Grif gangs in Haiti 'foreign terrorist organisations', a move that follows a trend under President Donald Trump of issuing terrorist designations against criminal groups in Latin America. As part of Friday's announcement, Secretary of State Marco Rubio explained that the two gangs have spread violence and chaos in Haiti, where armed groups exert substantial control over much of the capital, Port-au-Prince. 'The age of impunity for those supporting violence in Haiti is over,' Rubio said in a news statement. 'Haitian gangs, including the Viv Ansanm coalition and Gran Grif, are the primary source of instability and violence in Haiti. They are a direct threat to US national security interests in our region.' The Trump administration has projected a hard line against criminal groups in Latin America, often connecting those efforts to domestic priorities like stemming irregular migration and drug trafficking. In February, the US also designated eight drug-trafficking and criminal groups as terrorist organisations, including gangs such as Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), Tren de Aragua and several Mexican drug cartels. While such groups carry out acts of violence and intimidation, experts have typically differentiated between them and traditional 'terrorist' organisations that typically have explicit political goals. The designation of 'foreign terrorist organisation' makes any member of a given group inadmissible for entry into the US. It also bars offering 'material support or resources' to the group — an element of legal jeopardy that could inadvertently penalise individuals in areas where gangs are deeply embedded in the local economy and government. But Trump and his allies have sought to up the ante against criminal organisations and cartels, blaming them for the flow of undocumented migration and illicit drug-trafficking into the US. In the past, he and other Republican leaders have even suggested the US could carry out military strikes on countries such as Mexico to address the threat of gangs, causing alarm about possible violations of territorial sovereignty. While US-Mexico relations remain strong, critics fear aggressive moves — including the use of the terrorism designation for Mexican cartels — could undermine cooperation as the two countries address organised crime. In Haiti, the threat of gangs is widespread. For instance, the Viv Ansanm coalition, whose name translates to 'Live Together', is thought to control as much as 85 percent of Port-au-Prince, preventing commercial flights from arriving and restricting necessary supplies like food and medicine. With many Haitian civilians facing hunger, displacement and violence, critics fear the new designation could make it even harder to send necessary supplies to the country, given the need to negotiate with the gangs. 'The first consequences will be on the humanitarian and international cooperation, which is basically the only thing preventing the people in Haiti from starving,' Romain Le Cour, an expert with Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, told The Associated Press. Experts point out that the gangs often charge tolls for movement in and around their territory. The 'terrorist' designation could make payment a criminal offence in the US. 'It could function as a de facto embargo,' said Jake Johnston, international research director at the Washington-based Center for Economic and Policy Research. 'The gangs exercise tremendous control over the commerce of the country,' he added. 'Doing any kind of business with Haiti or in Haiti is going to carry much greater risk.' Gang control over Haiti has increased in recent years, particularly after the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise. His death led to a power vacuum, and no federal election has been held since, eroding public trust in state institutions. The gangs have exploited that vacuum to exert control. More than one million people have been internally displaced by the resulting violence, and the United Nations estimates that 5.7 million residents — nearly half the country — do not have enough food to eat. Kenya has led a UN-backed international security mission tasked with bolstering local police as they combat the gangs. But that mission has been heavily reliant on US support, some of which Trump has frozen since taking office. That task force has struggled to make an impact thus far, and in February, one of the Kenyan police officers was shot and killed as part of the mission, its first known death. Sceptics have also questioned the efficacy of the international group, given the long and disastrous history of foreign interventions in Haiti, including by the US. Trump has also attempted to scrap programmes like Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and humanitarian parole that allow Haitians to live legally in the US. An estimated 520,694 Haitians are protected under TPS alone. But under Trump, the Department of Homeland Security plans to fold the TPS programme for Haitians by August.
News.com.au
30-04-2025
- Politics
- News.com.au
Trump mortifies reporter with scathing remark on why he was picked for interview
President Trump humiliated ABC's Terry Moran by revealing why he picked him for 'the break of a lifetime' in getting to interview him on his 100th day in office. The commander-in-chief put the senior national correspondent in his place during a tense exchange in which Moran challenged him about suspected MS-13 tattoos on deported illegal immigrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia. 'Hey, they're giving you the big break of a lifetime, you know you're doing the interview,' Trump said. 'I picked you because frankly, I never heard of you. 'I picked you, but you're not being very nice,' he complained. The 78-year-old president's comments ended the heated discussion on Abrego Garcia's problematic tattoos. Abrego Garcia became known after his national-headline deportation from Maryland to his native El Salvador, where he has been locked up since March 15. Trump brought up the knuckle tattoos on the man's hand, which were purportedly a subtle indication of being a part of the violent Mara Salvatrucha gang. 'Wait a minute, he had 'MS-13' on his knuckles,' Trump said, referring to tattoos on Abrego Garcia's left hand. 'Oh, he had some tattoos that were interpreted that way,' Moran interjected before trying to ask another question. Abrego Garcia's tattoos in question were sketched on the back left hand — a marijuana leaf, a smiley face, a cross, and a skull. Some interpreted the random symbols to be a pictorial for 'M S 1 3.' Moran attempted to change the topic, but Trump persisted in correcting Moran. 'Wait a minute, Terry, Terry, don't do that. It says MS-13,' he said, referring to the graphic released by the White House to explain the meaning of Abrego Garcia's ink. Moran said the actual lettering on the graphic was photoshopped, despite the president's best efforts to explain himself. 'That was photoshopped? Terry, you can't do that,' Trump said before tearing into the outlet's senior national correspondent, calling him an unknown. At other points in the interview, Moran had questioned Trump's deportation of suspected gang members without hearings. 'The law is the law,' Moran pressed, but the president insisted that a 'legal process' is being followed. 'They get whatever my lawyers say,' Trump said of the legal rights his administration is affording deportees. Moran again brought up Abrego Garcia, whom Trump called dangerous. 'This is an MS-13 gang member, a tough cookie, been in lots of skirmishes, beat the hell out of his wife,' Trump said. Abrego Garcia's wife applied for a protective order against him in 2021 after he allegedly physically abused her. 'OK? This is not an innocent, wonderful gentleman from Maryland,' he added. Moran distanced himself from the conversation, saying he was 'not saying [Abrego Garcia] is a good guy.' 'It's about the rule of law,' the ABC host continued. Tensions heated up again when Moran pressed Trump on whether he trusted Russian President Vladimir Putin. 'I don't trust you,' Trump said. 'I don't trust a lot of people.'
