D.C. officials sound alarm on illegal-alien crime spike

'It's happening. We are seeing it happen. It is not just in the border towns'

Washington Metro area officials are blaming illegal immigrants for a rise in gang related violence, and are imploring federal officials to enforce immigration laws and stem the flow.

“We warned two to three years ago that this influx over the border of illegal aliens was going to cause an increase in MS-13 and other gang-related crime,” Corey Stewart, chairman of the Prince William Board of County Supervisor, told Fox 5. “It’s happening. We are seeing it happen. It is not just in the border towns. It is happening all across America and we are seeing it especially here in Northern Virginia and the D.C. region.”

Maryland and Northern Virginia are seeing an influx of immigrants and a rise in homicides, many tied back to increased gang activity, particularly with the notorious MS-13 group. District officials saw a record homicide rate in 2015, but Maryland is also struggling with a rise in violent incidents. Montgomery County Police said they investigated eight gang-related murders in 2015, four times more than in the previous year, reports Fox 5.

Law enforcement officials in the D.C. Metro area argue the spike in activity correlates with the wave of unaccompanied minors coming across America’s southern border.

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