Gastonia, NC Correspondent– Blaming the gang problem in major cities on the immigration policy is completely ridiculous. Yes, there are gangs made up primarily of immigrants in the major cities, but the gang problem here existed long before those newcomers came on the scene. Anyone who lived through the ‘70s remembers “The Warriors,” the ultraviolent movie that came out in 1979 and chronicled a highly stylized version of life in urban gangs.

Want to blame immigrants for gangs? Go back to the early days of Ellis Island and massive immigration and see the Irish getting off their ships. They faced persecution and discrimination from the American public, and banded together to both protect themselves and create economic opportunity. Not every enterprise they engaged in was legal, and violence often factored into their long-term business plans.

Today, gangs like MS-13, which is primarily made up of young men from Latin America, have a presence in most major cities. They rob, kill, run drug operations and otherwise commit outrages against the social order. Likewise, the Bloods, Crips and Aryan Brotherhood perpetrate their own brands of mayhem.

The immigrant criminal gangs are so well-established that they operate well outside US immigration policy. The best way to combat them is by infiltration, treating them the same way the FBI and CIA treat suspected terrorist organizations. Plant agents among them, learn their plans, find their leaders and then take them out without mercy or delay. Of course, this tactic will work equally well on the homegrown gangs, and should be used equally as vigorously against them.

You know, when I was a kid growing up in Philly, we didn’t have a gang problem. The Mafia didn’t allow such street foolishness, because it interfered with their more longstanding criminal enterprises. Maybe there’s a few old capos we could put in charge of the anti-gang effort? Set a thief to catch a thief?

Owatonna, MN Correspondent-Stopping gang violence anywhere, but especially in the major urban areas, revolves around one dominating factor—illegal drugs. When drug profits are exponentially more than what young urban males from a poor neighborhood can expect to make in a legitimate job, those young men will, of course, gravitate toward the illegal drug trade. It doesn’t matter if gang members have illegally—or legally, for that matter—immigrated to the US. The illegal drug trade is a global problem, and gang members will migrate to where the profit potential is greatest—the United States.

The simple solution, even though it is politically abhorrent to almost every politician and much of the populace, is to immediately legalize all currently illegal drugs and begin regulating them the same way we regulate alcohol in this country. This will remove the motive of exorbitant profits that drives the illegal drug trade.

Because the profits and risks are so high in illegal drug trafficking, gangs are willing to do anything to protect their sales territory, including killing the competition. They resort to violence because they have nothing to lose if they fail. Alternatives are living in poverty, ending up in jail, or ending up dead. The upside is a wealthy lifestyle (if only temporary) plus a feeling of belonging, a feeling of family. Having fellow gang members who are willing to kill or die for you creates a more powerful bond of loyalty and family than would an absentee father and/or a chemically dependent mother who are incapable of being parents and providing an atmosphere of trust, loyalty, and family.

No matter what the reasons for immigrant gang violence, current immigration policies need to be fully enforced. This country is great at passing laws that sound good and make people feel good about government, but enforcing those laws is necessary to achieve whatever goals the laws intend to facilitate. If current immigration laws are inadequate to quell immigrant gang violence, then new laws must be passed, or existing laws amended, that will specifically address the problem. Ultimately, whatever laws are passed must be enforced if there is to be any progress on reducing or eliminating the violent drug culture in America.

Prescott Valley, AZ Correspondent-The surge of violent gang activity in various areas of America has been caused by lax immigration policies at the federal and local level. Areas in Long Island, New York have experienced the violence first hand with the recent murders of four teenagers.

Lawlessness has escalated under a federal policy that has allowed thousands upon thousands of Central American teens (apprehended at the border) to be placed with illegal immigrant sponsors. Though all teen border crossers are not seasoned gang members, those placed in the homes of other illegals quickly become acclimated to a life of little to no supervision. There is negligible interest with these teenagers to comply with directives or policies that concern the law, and they quickly identify with gang members that have already staked out dominance in particular New York locales.

Communities in Long Island have endured the presence of MS-13 gang members (El Salvadoran gang) who have been allowed to rampage throughout Suffolk County because of a sanctuary county status. Local law enforcement has refused to abide by arrest orders issued by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) without first obtaining a detainer. This process has allowed gang members to walk free from any kind of prosecution and the sanctuary status of the county strangles law enforcement.

The illegals that provide safe haven for the Central American teens are encouraged to sponsor more and more unaccompanied youth as it protects them from deportation. The illegal providers and the influx of teenagers keep a steady supply of potential gang members ready for recruitment by MS-13. The whole process empowers MS-13 as they have a ripe and ready source of new members at their fingertips and the violent crimes continue to escalate.

Communities in the county and other gang-plagued areas are outraged as to the devastation caused by gang infiltration but are at a loss as to what to do concerning gang escalation and the violent crimes they perpetrate and commit. The answer lies in the termination of sanctuary cities and counties as well as the culmination of programs that allow other illegals already in the country (whether family or otherwise) to take in unaccompanied youth encountered at the borders of America.

In order to combat the presence of gangs and gang violence in Suffolk County, New York and other concentrated areas of gang activity, immigration laws already in existence and on the books need to be fully enforced. Though many Central American illegals have been scattered throughout the country and have blended into the woodwork, a stepped up process of locating these individuals needs to be initiated and made top priority.

Increased deportations and prosecutions of those committing violent crimes also need to be immediately addressed and put into effect. Criminal youth and other illegal criminals should be returned to their home countries for prosecution and imprisonment rather than crowding the American judicial and prison systems with gang offenders. All of these efforts must become critical priorities if communities in Suffolk County and the rest of America are to survive.

Those in Suffolk County and other parts of America have suffered greatly under the current administration’s way of dealing with illegal alien minors from Central America and other parts of the world. The policies have been disastrous for hundreds of communities. The El Salvadoran gang (MS-13) and others related to it must be eradicated from the face of America in order to restore law and order to once peaceful and upstanding areas of the country.