Former acting ICE director Tom Homan took to “Fox & Friends” on Thursday to discuss a growing fear of extortion schemes run by violent MS-13 gang members within U.S. immigrant communities.
Homan’s claims are in response to an Associated Press news report, which states, “…widespread extortion in Central America explains why many seek asylum in the United States in the first place. Some advocates fear prospects of large payments will fuel many more threats.”
The payments in question stem from the Biden administration’s promises of compensation for families separated at the border under former President Trump’s administration. Drawn to the prospect of huge payouts, members of MS-13 are now demanding thousands from struggling immigrants in exchange for their safety.
“Apparently, I am a millionaire now,” said a 30-year-old Honduran woman who, like others interviewed by AP, spoke on condition of anonymity due to fears for her family’s safety. “I don’t have the money to pay for something like that and I don’t know what to do. I am desperate, really.”
The thugs have allegedly already made demands of the frightened woman, to the tune of $5,000 a month.
(Video: Fox News)
Identified as “crime tourists,” the FBI is currently looking into a score of burglaries that have netted more than $2 million, according to Fox News.
Homan pointed to a relaxed approach to law enforcement for the rise in crime.
“In my day, back when I was a special agent, it was Chinese nationals and nationals
from Nigeria doing a lot of extortion and the ‘crime tourism’ thing,” Homan said Thursday on “Fox & Friends.”
“But, there’s an increase in it now because they know this administration is not strong on law enforcement. Most of our major cities are not strong on enforcing the law. Right now, it’s kind of shifted from China and Nigeria to Central America, and why?” he continued. “Because MS-13 has taken a foothold in 40 states. Forty out of 50 states have MS-13 there, and they are the founders of extortion. They extort the very same community in which they live — immigrant communities.”
Mara Salvatrucha, commonly known as MS-13, is an international criminal organization that originated in Los Angeles, California. Since its founding in the 1970s and 1980s, the street gang, known for drug trafficking and brutal tactics, has spread across Central America, America and Canada, and around the world.
In El Salvador, it is estimated that MS-13 and its rival, the Eighteenth Street Gang, employ some 60,000 people between them, making them the largest employers in the country.
MS-13 became a focus of the Trump administration’s strong stance on immigration, but
Biden’s reversal of many of his predecessors’ policies have led to a noticeable uptick in
crime in cities across America.
“With Sanctuary Cities and lax law enforcement,” Homan warned, “you’re going to see
this continue to rise.”
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Melissa Fine is the former executive editor of Casino Player, Strictly Slots, and Poker
Digest magazines. She is a UCLA graduate, news junkie, and dedicated Stargate SG-
1 fan. Melissa currently lives with her dog and two cats in a tiny town in the Sierra
Nevada foothills.
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