Illegals arrested in bust
Local authorities, feds nab 25 immigrants suspected of gang-related activity
Illegal immigration arrests
Twenty-five gang associates arrested in the Charleston area for being in the country illegally were affiliated with the following gangs. Twenty-two have been deported. Two are pending deportation and one is pending state criminal charges.
15 Surenos (Southerners)
6 Vatos Locos (Crazy Guys)
2 Eighteen Street
1 Brown Pride
1 Nortenos (Northerners)
24-hour hotline
To report illegal immigration issues, call U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at 866-347-2433. For more info, visit www.ice.gov.
Previous Story
SLED chief says gangs big worry, published 09/11/08
Federal agents swooped into the Lowcountry, plucked out more than two dozen illegal immigrants with gang ties and deported them from the country.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's four-month Operation Community Shield focused on gangs and netted 1,759 people across the country. Twenty-five were arrested locally with the help of North Charleston's Gang Intervention Team. All were charged with being in the country illegally.
"We're targeting what we think are dangerous criminals. We think it's been a success in Charleston," Charleston's resident agent in charge said. He asked that his name not be used because gangs are known to target agents and their families.
Most of the arrests were made in the North Charleston area in communities with a high concentration of Hispanic residents. Those communities include the area of Stall and Midland Park roads, North Charleston's border with Hanahan along Remount Road and a concentration of apartments below Charleston Air Force Base on Dorchester Road.
North Charleston police are familiar with the communities and helped point agents to the gang associates living there, the agent said.
Police Chief Jon Zumalt founded the two-man Gang Intervention Team in 2006 to prevent violent gang activity in the city. The team teaches the community about the signs that indicate gangs have moved into an area, and it tries to persuade gang members to leave their gangs.
"We are starting to see more Hispanic gangs in our region," Zumalt said. "It's a very relevant issue."
Some of the illegal immigrants affiliated with gangs were captured on Johns Island as well. The agent in charge said gangs have not taken a stronghold in the Charleston area, and he hopes the recent arrests will discourage others from coming here.
"We don't think they are heavily involved in trying to take over the area, but you see them involved with drugs and weapons and things like that," Zumalt said.
Fifteen of the 25 people arrested locally were associates of the Surenos (Southerners) gang.
Of 1,759 people arrested nationwide in Operation Community Shield, which wrapped up in September, nearly 1,500 were associated with gangs and other criminal activity. Nearly 30 percent had violent criminal histories with charges ranging from drug and firearm violations to attempted murder.
The sweep netted 17 gang leaders, including accused Inland Empire gang leader Roberto Dominguez in Atlanta and accused Uptown Gang leader Kinske St. Vilus in Miami, a news release said.
ICE was established in 2003 as the largest investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Agents have arrested more than 11,000 gang members and their associates around the country.
Federal officials said Thursday that there was a 63 percent increase in illegal immigrants deported from Georgia and the Carolinas in fiscal year 2008, which ended in October. ICE carried out a record 17,955 deportation orders, compared to 11,006 the previous year.
The agency said it began removal proceedings in those three states against 7,000 criminals in jails and prisons, an increase from 3,722 in 2007. The criminals will face possible deportation when their sentences are complete.
Prentiss Findlay and the Associated Press contributed to this report. Reach Nadine Parks at 937-5573 or nparks@postand courier.com.
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Comments
This article has 31 comment(s)
Posted by ForPnC on November 9, 2008 at 4:28 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Congratulations! Keep it up!
No more illegals!
No more gangs!
Posted by CedarPosts on November 9, 2008 at 6:01 a.m. (Suggest removal)
With the construction job market in the tank, most of the illegals who remain in the area are not the hard working, trying to support the family types.
Henry Brown sent another one of his double talk build a fence letter last week, and it gets really ticks me off how congress has done nothing to support ICE and Homeland in dealing with this issue.
http://cedarposts.blogspot.com
Posted by coryphaena on November 9, 2008 at 6:37 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Well, good. Only 20 million more to deport and we'll be done...
Posted by pirate42 on November 9, 2008 at 6:47 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Deport them today there back next month excute the rats show them we mean buisness.....
Posted by LadyM on November 9, 2008 at 6:51 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Nice to know that something is being done, however, they need to visit the Myrtle Beach/Conway area. We are covered up in illegal's and most of the town of Socastee looks like little Mexico. Let's get someone up here please to give us some relief from the invaders. We have all those gangs and MS-13 here also. We have called in to ICE so many times my fingers are sore from dialing. Please, Please, Please help us enforce H440 up here!
Posted by dbeast420 on November 9, 2008 at 8:12 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Posted by pirate42 on November 9, 2008 at 6:47 a.m. (Suggest removal)
..... excute the rats show them we mean buisness.....
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Do it publicly and broadcast it live in spanish!!!!
Posted by southerngirl45 on November 9, 2008 at 8:14 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Great Job~but don't let it stop now! Illegals are taking over our land,taking our jobs, and NOW Hardee's is catering to the Mexican clientele with a full Me He Co menu. I stopped going there anyway because they can never get anything right anymore. AND has anyone noticed the "beautiful" NEW colors of WalMart~BROWN AND TERRACOTTA!! Coincidence? H**l no because that's their store now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by pullmyfinger on November 9, 2008 at 8:24 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Its seems when somebody cries racist all the time in their rants on the Post and Compost maybe people like "Liberaltime " are only the true racists. All the other people here are just speaking up and they are tired of the system being used by the Liberal minded RATS. Go follow your Obama and take it away from the working class and give it to someone who deserves it, like a democrat!
Posted by moonpie on November 9, 2008 at 8:24 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Liberal time or "spankerass" which ever you go by today, your tone gives you away.
Hey LEO 25 that's it? The chief says they're targeting "dangerous criminals". How about target all illegals is that criminal enough for you? Instead of having "reach out and touch me" BBQ's how about reach out and cuff them BBQ's. My blood gets boiling when I see the mommas pushing the anchor babies.
Posted by singleroni on November 9, 2008 at 9:02 a.m. (Suggest removal)
i thought the police chiefs said not long ago there was no gangs here. now we have gangs but only a few. when are they gonna wake up. go peddle traffic tickets. face reality ride around and look. can't tell me there not gangs here. i don't go to the mall any more,or the ladson flea market.
Posted by CedarPosts on November 9, 2008 at 9:12 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Ya'll didn't take long before the racist comment showed up.
I spent the better part of the last three months working to help a friend, who's last name is Ramierz.
Yep a Latin Republican (Columbian) who is married to a Cuban, who had his election run managed by a native of Peru.
Each one of these friends are "latin" and they are all for locking up illegals and busing them back across the border.
So if you ask me and my latin friends there is nothing racist about rounding up and shipping home this pond scum.
Posted by NativeSon on November 9, 2008 at 11:19 a.m. (Suggest removal)
17,955 deported this year and most of them are already back thanks to a criminal congress who refuses to listen to their constituents!
Perhaps we should get rid of congress and just have a king. The president we just elected has that ambition. Lets go with it.
Posted by a_set_love on November 9, 2008 at 11:31 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Posted by Liberaltime on November 9, 2008 at 8:52 a.m. (Suggest removal)
The influx of Mexicans while a small percentage of the overall population has doubled the cumulative IQ score of South Carolina.
Rather than vent at the corporations, businesses and republican politicians who invited the illegals in with open arms. The posters here would rather blame the workers themselves who now find themselves far from home with diminishing work prospects here as the jobs dry up. They would probably like nothing better than to leave.
I expect we will see more token deportations by the Bush regime so the republicans can continue to claim they are doing something. If the total amount of money spent to remove these illegals was added up it would probably been enough for 100 jobs for Americans for a whole year.
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Hey spankerbuns - I believe its time for the Liberal Socialist Democrat Controlled Congress to do something about illegal aliens. They have blocked all meaning action against illegal aliens when they didn't have a majority and when they got power in 2006 the only thing they have done is try to find some cause to impeach President George Bush. All along allowing the country and world to go into a tailspin.
Now that you have "O" the messiah all that is needed is for congress to make retroactive a law denying citizenship to babies of illegal aliens born in the United States of America. The same illegal aliens that voted "O" the messiah into his reign of power will then have no claim to stay.
I do agree with you on arresting people who hire them. Good way to put a lot of Liberal Socialist Democrats in jail where they belong.
Posted by a_set_love on November 9, 2008 at 11:40 a.m. (Suggest removal)
John McCain and "O" the messiah somehow ended up at the same barbershop. As they sat there, each being worked on by a different barber, not a word was spoken. The barbers were even afraid to start a conversation, for fear it would turn to politics.
As the barbers finished their shaves, the one who had "O" in his chair reached for the aftershave. "O" was quick to stop him saying, 'No thanks, my wife Michelle will smell that and think I've been in a whorehouse.'
The second barber turned to McCain and said, 'How about you?'
McCain replied, 'Go ahead, my wife doesn't know what the inside of a whorehouse smells like.
LMAO
Posted by eatmorecollards on November 9, 2008 at 11:50 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I don't think the majority of the illegals intend on staying in the US. I think most of them intend to make some money and return. Theres still jobs here for unskilled labor. The ones that can gain legal status may stay for the welfare benefits though. With the inflationary policies proposed by the new administration and being a retiree, Mexico may get attractive to me even. You can still buy something there for a dollar.
Posted by tmh32 on November 9, 2008 at 11:55 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Good job by the law. Now if we were to take most of the DEA off of it's WORTHLESS, EXPENSIVE, war on drugs , and place them with the anitigang and immigration guys we could really see some good things happen. and then those dea agents could actually start working for their paycheck instead of wasting our tax money.
Posted by diablo_tonto on November 9, 2008 at noon (Suggest removal)
Charleston better hope and pray that the likes of a real clique like "MS-13" don't go on a relocation and recruiting drive anytime soon here. Those vatos are serious bangers! There have been whispers of a few of them in and around town, but nothing fully organized(hopefully)? Instead of harassing los mexicanos that are working for slave wages and not a threat to anyone(construction sites, or the poultry plant in G'ville, etc), ICE might really want to concentrate on prevention of the influx of gangs like Azteca and MS-13 to this area!!
Posted by CedarPosts on November 9, 2008 at 1:32 p.m. (Suggest removal)
diablo tonto (lol at your screen name)I think it was a movie? Anyway:
Too late MS-13 is and has been here for a good while. The have already re-located, expanded, and set up new operations through out the Carolina's.
http://www.wcnc.com/news/local/stories/w...
Posted by diablo_tonto on November 9, 2008 at 3 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Missed that pelicula Cedar? Stupid devil is what the name means(you do the math on that one). Anyway, there might be a few cats that claim MS-13 and tag a couple of places locally, but the type of gang presence I'm referring to is not here. I know kids that claim "UBN"(United Blood Nation)here too, but they're not a major issue(yet). Same thing applies with MS-13. You nor I want a real clique like that here, no matter what one's perspective on the issue is.
Posted by Rawhide52 on November 9, 2008 at 4:03 p.m. (Suggest removal)
They better get them now because when Barack Hussein Obama gets in the White House his Muslim Terrorist friends will be our new wave of illegal immigrants
Posted by coolfreaknbeans on November 9, 2008 at 5:30 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Good job! I saw several hispanic gang members at the fair. In case you're wondering how I knew they were in a gang...One was wearing the color coded bandana along with a shirt that said "Married to the Gang". WTF? I have done some Christmas shopping the past couple of days and have seen what appeared to be gang members everywhere.(while in N.Chs) They are so bold they have fn decals on their cars! I hope this round up is the first of many to come.
Posted by seneca264 on November 9, 2008 at 8:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I wonder if the Summrville Police Department is paying attention to this story. Summerville continues to have their heads in the sand about gangs in the tri-county area.
Posted by NativeSon on November 10, 2008 at 5:18 a.m. (Suggest removal)
When are they going to stop calling them gangs and treat them like the terrorists that they are?
Posted by islandbenzbc on November 10, 2008 at 7:14 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Liberaltime: As one of the "ignorant masses" I happen to enjoy the dog and pony show (as you call it) of seeing illegals deported...maybe you should move a few of them in with you to show your support for their cause.
Posted by eyfigueroa on November 10, 2008 at 10:43 a.m. (Suggest removal)
“Rather than vent at the corporations, businesses and republican politicians who invited the illegals in with open arms. The posters here would rather blame the workers themselves who now find themselves far from home with diminishing work prospects here as the jobs dry up. They would probably like nothing better than to leave”
“These deportations are nothing but a dog and pony show to fool the ignorant masses. If ICE really wanted the illegals to leave they would impose jail sentences on those who hire them. As it is now it is just fodder for Americans watching their way of life disappearing to have a convenient target to blame their problems on”
RARELY, I agree with you, but today you hit it! Let’s rant and rave against the ‘illegals’, but not many comments from the regulars of the failure of the Republican Party of making this an important issue in the past election. All talk of ‘conservative values’ but no real impetus on stopping this issue at its core.
There is NO WAY we can physically deport 20 million. BUT we can make them self-deport by initiating policies that swiftly and severely punish those that hire them, give them sanctuary and institute stricter policies in entitlement programs.
I applaud the effort of LE, ICE & etc., but without REAL and SUBSTANTITIVE support from our government, all that is being done and reported on pretty much adds up to nothing more than a ‘dog & pony’ show.
Posted by coolfreaknbeans on November 10, 2008 at 10:54 a.m. (Suggest removal)
eyig- I will be the first to say the republicans and democrats both have failed miserably on this issue. Everyone in both parties has been too PC and too scared to act. This is why I voted for Bob Conley. His views on illegals aligned with mine. I could care less if he was a democrat,independent or republican.
Posted by eyfigueroa on November 10, 2008 at 11:03 a.m. (Suggest removal)
a-set-love: “I do agree with you on arresting people who hire them. Good way to put a lot of Liberal Socialist Democrats in jail where they belong.”
If you think that only Liberals hire illegal immigrants you are sadly mistaken. I’ve seen too many quintessential, stereotypical Conservatives who run up to the corner of Stall & Ashley Phosphate in their company trucks and pick up a handful of illegals to do day labor. And do so with the tacit approval of the owners of these contracting/construction companies.
Do you truly believe that the owners of these chicken/meat-packing processing plants, vegetable/fruit farms & orchards and hotels are all loony liberals who sit around a drum circle singing Kumbyah?
Methinks not.
Let’s be real here. The liberals want to coddle illegals and many corporate ‘conservatives’ want to exploit them.
We can rant, rave and call each other names, but the bottom line here is, no work, no pay. Cracking down on employers coupled with strict/swift deportation and a physical barrier on our borders, will not only slow the influx of illegals coming here, but will also cause many to self-deport.
Posted by eyfigueroa on November 10, 2008 at 3:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)
coolbeans: I agree totally that's why i said liberals coddle and so-called conservatise hire 'em.
did lovely drop that bundle yet?
Posted by coolfreaknbeans on November 10, 2008 at 4:37 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I havent heard yet :) It should be any time now.
Posted by Lovely_One on November 10, 2008 at 6:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)
a_set_love, I heard that joke the other day, but it was told the other way around.
Posted by coolfreaknbeans on November 10, 2008 at 6:48 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Are you posting from a hospital bed? LOL