Dozens of gang members, some of whom belonged to the notorious MS-13, were shielded from deportation and released due to "sanctuary" policies last year, according to newly released stats from the Department of Homeland Security. The revelation could jolt the escalating "sanctuary" debate, especially in California where many of those gang members were located. In fiscal 2017, there were 796 arrests of MS-13 members, compared with 432 in fiscal 2016 and 322 in fiscal 2015. More broadly, ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) said that 5,396 gang members were removed in fiscal 2017, compared with 2,057 in fiscal 2016. “As many current MS-13 gang members are illegal border entrants, DHS believes increasing border security will discourage the arrival of both current gang members and potential recruits.”Additionally, officials said that MS-13 members regularly exploit border vulnerabilities and that U.S. Border Patrol agents arrest MS-13 members trying to enter the country “on a near-daily basis.”Fox News' Joseph Weber, William LaJeunesse and Paulina Dedaj contributed to this report.

Source: Fox News April 18, 2018 16:44 UTC