As President Donald Trump cracks down on illegal immigrant gangs, a priority for his administration during his first 100 days in office, a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official says violent foreign gangs like MS-13 are feeling the heat. 

“These gangs are getting increasingly desperate,” Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News Digital. “Designating MS-13 and other gangs as terrorists is certainly helpful. That just gives us broader authorities … as far as deportations go.”

Immediately upon taking office, McLaughlin said, the Trump administration began partnering with local law enforcement as part of the 287(g) program, specifically because of their knowledge of the local gang scene. 

President Donald Trump in the Oval Office holding a photo of the tattoos on Abrego Garcia’s knuckles that the White House says are affiliated with the MS-13 terrorist group. (Donald Trump Truth Social)

McLaughlin noted that when illegal immigrants self-deport, it also reduces the danger to law enforcement authorities who risk life and limb arresting dangerous criminals. 

ERO Boston announced the Sept. 12 arrest of 30-year-old Angel Gabriel Deras-Mejia, a Salvadoran illegal immigrant and documented member of MS-13. (ICE ERO-Boston)

One of the Trump administration’s major victories in the war on MS-13 came at the end of March, when the FBI teamed up with the Prince William County Police Department, the ATF, ICE and the Virginia State Police to arrest one of the gang’s top leaders in the United States, 24-year-old Salvadoran national Henrry Josue Villatoro Santos.