ICE’s “Wildfire” Leads to roughly 1,000 Gang Member Arrests

United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement plotted a nationwide crack-down on both United States and foreign gang members from February 23^rd to March 31^st, 2015. Appropriately named “Project Wildfire”, ICE targeted gang members conducting illegal activity in 282 cities across the country. Of the 976 arrested, agents detained 199 illegal immigrants.

Of these 199 arrested immigrants, 151 of them were determined to be gang members or have gang affiliations. They were from 18 different countries in Central and South America, the Caribbean, Africa, Europe and Asia.  Sixty-three of the 199 arrested foreign nationals were charged with administrative immigration violations.

ICE’s goal during this operation was to collect gang members participating in criminal activity across international borders. Over the course of the six-week task, agents reportedly arrested members from the Sureños, Norteños, Bloods and Crips. According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, they seized 82 firearms, methamphetamines, marijuana, cocaine, heroin, $379,399 in U.S. currency, $547,534 in counterfeit merchandise, and five vehicles.

Director of ICE, Sarah R. Saldaña, revealed the importance of working with law enforcement partners across the country, stating that, “Criminal gangs inflict violence and fear upon our communities, and without the attention of law enforcement, these groups can spread like a cancer.”