It was a tally so impressive that President Donald Trump touted it at his State of the Union address: Since May, agents cracking down on the violent gangs terrorizing the working-class suburbs of Long Island had swept up 428 gang suspects, including 220 members of the notorious MS-13.
But the sweep called "Operation Matador" has also been shrouded in secrecy. Federal and state authorities have declined repeated requests from The Associated Press for even basic information made public in most law enforcement operations, such as the names of those arrested and the crimes they are accused of committing.
They won't divulge their ages, immigration status or current whereabouts. And while they say 44 of those arrested have been deported, they refuse to say what happened to the rest, including whether they are even still in custody. Both federal and state officials said releasing more details could endanger the suspect and jeopardize ongoing investigations.
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Steal a loaf of bread and the police want to put your name and face on billboards , newspapers, and TV.
ReplyDeleteThat's for AMERICANS.
Swim across the Rio with 10 keys of coke and kill two people on the way to join up with other criminals in New York's MS-13 gang?
Get caught and the police want to keep all the details secret.
They got rights, you know.
Keep cheering.