A "revolving door" on the border has kept the gang's numbers steady —
about 10,000 in the U.S. — even as many illegal immigrant members are
deported.
Criminal gangs in the USA have swelled to an
estimated 1 million members responsible for up to 80% of crimes in
communities across the nation, according to a gang threat assessment
compiled by federal officials.
The major findings in a report by the Justice
Department's National Gang Intelligence Center, which has not been
publicly released, conclude gangs are the "primary retail-level
distributors of most illicit drugs" and several are "capable" of
competing with major U.S.-based Mexican drug-trafficking organizations.
"A rising number of U.S.-based gangs are
seemingly intent on developing working relationships" with U.S. and
foreign drug-trafficking organizations and other criminal groups to
"gain direct access to foreign sources of illicit drugs," the report
concludes.
The gang population estimate is up 200,000 since 2005.
Bruce Ferrell, chairman of the Midwest Gang Investigators Association,
whose group monitors gang activity in 10 states, says the number of
gang members may be even higher than the report's estimate.
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