At least 16 admitted MS-13 gang members, who came to the U.S. as illegal immigrants in 2014, were knowingly allowed to stay in the U.S. by the Obama administration, The Washington Times reported.
The gang members were all in their teens and were sent to juvenile homes throughout the country, the newspaper reported.
Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee,said Customs and Broder Protection documents detailing the 16 people caught crossing the border were turned over to the panel by a whistleblower.
"CBP apprehended them, knew they were MS-13 gang members, and they processed and disbursed them into our communities," Johnson said.
The gang members were regarded as refugees fleeing bad conditions in their homelands, the newspaper reported.
Law enforcement officials are asking for more money to combat the MS-13 gang, which is responsible for a growing wave of violence across the country, the Washington Examiner reported. And they say the government needs to do more to help prosecute members of the MS-13.
"During the committee's examination of America's unsecure borders we have learned how transnational criminal organizations and drug cartels exploit American policies and our lack of border security to advance their criminal agenda," Johnson noted."
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