Deseret News | More than 70 arrested in statewide gang sweep

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More than 70 arrested in statewide gang sweep

mtymouse | 11:37 a.m. Sept. 30, 2009

Great work, and congratulations to the law enforcement agencies who rounded up these dangerous, intimidating individuals. Now let's hope they are kept in jail/prison for longer than a few hours. Our judicial system needs to do better to keep these criminal misfits off our streets and support the hard work law enforcement does to get them rounded up. So what if our jail cells are crowded--they go to jail/prison for punishment, not a life of ease!

Jake | 11:55 a.m. Sept. 30, 2009

From the story:

"Over half will be looking at deportation proceedings."

"One of those arrested was Guadalupe Alfredo Melendez-Laine, 34, a Honduran national with ties to the Surenos 13 street gang who has previously been deported five times."

That seems to be working well. Why not deport him to Siberia?

Solymnar | 11:57 a.m. Sept. 30, 2009

An ounce of prevention = a pound of cure.

So very true.

Keeping trouble makers from establishing a foothold is so important. Once they do its like trying to remove a roach infestation.

Comments continue below

blue collar man | 11:57 a.m. Sept. 30, 2009

These times are a changing. I wonder when ICE will team up with the AG and begin arresting the EMPLOYERS
here in Utah who hire illegals and continue to throw up road blocks when Americans attempt to find work.

Chris B. | 12:02 p.m. Sept. 30, 2009

Over half facing deportation! And I always thought they were here just to get better jobs to support their families. At least that's what the liberals try to make us believe.

Talyn | 12:03 p.m. Sept. 30, 2009

These gangbangers who continue to reenter the United States after deportation should be executed.

Thank you | 12:17 p.m. Sept. 30, 2009

Thank you law enforcement for taking a stand against illegal immigrants who bring crime to us.

Anonymous | 12:27 p.m. Sept. 30, 2009

Deported five times? Why don't we just install a turnstile at the border and charge admission? At least it would pay for sending them back over and over. At what point do you say "we're keeping him! (in jail!!)

St George Resident | 12:28 p.m. Sept. 30, 2009

Thank god for law enforcement. Thank you Mr. Shurtleff for your support. We have a big problem here in Washington Co that needs constant patrolling. If you get them ALL it will decrease our county population by about 25% but thats just fine. Out of here not to return I hope. Thanks so much for all of your efforts.

a citizen | 12:31 p.m. Sept. 30, 2009

Nice work! We appreciate you cleaning up the streets.

it's not the liberals | 12:50 p.m. Sept. 30, 2009

who are hiring the illegals UTAH! all you have to do is go down 600 west 200so any day and surprise!! you'll find your GOP friends and neighbors picking them up as they line the street corners like creatures of habit. and be sure to tell your neighbors they are the cause n the effect here in UTAH!

DixieBelle | 12:53 p.m. Sept. 30, 2009

If deporting five times doesn't work, our Governor and Mr. Shurtleff and our elected state reps need to enact a way to put criminal illegals in prison permanently. If Melendez-Laine can't behave here and won't go home, keep him in jail! Stop playing with him.

Anonymous | 1:16 p.m. Sept. 30, 2009

Dig a big pit and call it Utah's Alcatraz, then put them in there for the rest of their lives. Seriously, deporting them just means they will be back.

aaron | 1:23 p.m. Sept. 30, 2009

I'm glad these criminals are off the street, but let's be honest with ourselves- 76 gang members were arrested by the team, over half just happened to be illegal immigrants. What did you expect when they target a gang made up of Hispanics? Of all the gang arrests in Utah, illegal immigrants constitute a VERY small percentage. Let's congratulate ourselves for arresting violent criminals and stop spinning it to seem like all gang-related criminal activity comes from illegal immigrants. Once again, Shurtleff is leveraging your ignorant fear for his own gain.

legal immigrant | 1:30 p.m. Sept. 30, 2009

These are just immigrants doing jobs Americans won't do!

Tip of Iceberg | 1:38 p.m. Sept. 30, 2009

This is only the tip of the iceberg. Mr. Shurtluff, the AG, has finally gotten around to doing what should have started several years ago. I don't suppose that it is because he is now running for the U.S. Senate?? The AG's office under Mr. Shurtluff has made little effort in the past to deal with the illegal problem in Utah, major criminals or not.

I hope that those commenting on the illegal alien problem belong to one of the citizen groups fighting the problem: In St George it would be (CCII) Citizen Council on Illegal Immigration, (UFIRE) Utahns For Immigration Reform and Enforcement, or (UMP) Utah Minuteman Project. All of these have web pages with contact information. Perhaps you could start your own group but joining one of these is easier. Now is maybe the time to come out from behind your computer and stand up publicly. The squeaky wheel gets the grease.

Fed up | 1:39 p.m. Sept. 30, 2009

You're right "it's not the liberals", it's got to be the GOP that's providing the jobs, Democrats certainly don't...for anyone. It all sounds pretty easy to me. It's called an ultimatum. "Convict, you show up here in Utah again, you get the death penalty, it's as simple as that. Your serve."

lost in DC | 1:42 p.m. Sept. 30, 2009

I doubt the gangbangers are coming here for jobs, they are coming here to traffic drugs and extort.

They need l-e-n-g-t-h-y prison terms, then deportation.

Thank You!! | 1:55 p.m. Sept. 30, 2009

Lets make sure there is no turnstile at the border or the jail!!

Reality | 2:06 p.m. Sept. 30, 2009

The problem really is the countries these punks come from. Every year the US divvies out billions in foreign aid to these countries. why not deduct the cost of rounding up and deporting the hoods from said countries? If Honduras and Mexico were losing millions because we were charging them to police their citizens, don't you think they would tighten up and cooperate more closely with us?

the liberal | 2:21 p.m. Sept. 30, 2009

The criminals who come here are actually just asking for our help. We live in the greatest country in the world and so many people want to live here and do jobs Americans won't do, so we should just lend a helping hand to our fellow human beings from the South.

Attention Law Breakers | 2:25 p.m. Sept. 30, 2009

Locals are fed up with you and your lack of respect for this country and laws. Ever heard of the "Vigilanties" ....???

Utahn | 2:33 p.m. Sept. 30, 2009

If we would get some sort of border control we would keep out the narco-gangs. The violence from Mexico is already spilling into border towns and will gradually keep coming North. In 50 years we will all be living in the barrios.

Shurtleff | 2:33 p.m. Sept. 30, 2009

Not dissing the attorney general cops, but it is nice to see Mark Shurtleff get excited about something besides his total waste of tax dollars chasing non-violent polygamists. Isn't this the same Shurtleff who campaigned in Espanol?

I guess now that Bob Bennett is giving him a run for his money (or more accurately the money from payday lenders and Rick Koerber who own Shurtleff), Shurtleff is all of the sudden tough on illegal immigration.

Good for the cops for arresting hardened gang criminals. But it is too bad that this is too little too late from a total political harlot of an attorney general.

lost in DC | 2:47 p.m. Sept. 30, 2009

the liberal 2:21 - I humbly disagree with your comment that they are coming here for our help and to do the jobs we don't want to do. Most of the illegal aliens may fit the definition you describe, but the gangbangers described in the article do not want to work, they just want to prey on others.

spectrum? | 2:56 p.m. Sept. 30, 2009

Funny that Saint George's local paper is completely silent on this huge bust of 21 bang bangers in their community. Ignorance is bliss, I guess.

READ THE STORY | 3:32 p.m. Sept. 30, 2009

Mr. liberal 2:21 You were kidding right? Its just the poor South Americans that want work we should be happy to give right?

Please read trhe article again. It was gang members that were arreated, 70 of them. One for the fifth time, and his job was to distribute herion.

GIVE ME A BREAK

Huh? | 4:38 p.m. Sept. 30, 2009

Why do people assume businesses are hiring these illegals?

These are killing and dealing gang members. They don't have jobs--they live off dealing drugs and stealing things.

Secondarily our govt is making it more difficult for employers to verify who is illegal?

Gee I wonder why they would want to do that? Hmmm.

inane husseins obvious plan is to make them all legal, give them healthcare, and exploit them for votes.

Little do they know that the rest of inane husseins plan will be to keep them in poverty. That way they can be better controlled and maintain a dependence on the govt. Why? Because they know they are the party of "giving the appearance" of helping the poor when all they do is exploit them for votes and keep them down.

Take a look at every big inner city. It is controlled by Democrats and look at the decay, the poverty, the lousy school results. All this despite the fact that the "party of the poor" has been in charge for decades.

People ought to wake up and get clue.

These illegals are just pawns in the Democrat game. They want them here illegally.

Deport the bad, keep the good | 4:51 p.m. Sept. 30, 2009

Deport all illegal gang members who break the law.

Those who are here and keeping the law, who are an assent to the community and to the country, lets make them legal so they can be a great contribution to our country and our society.

Out with the bad, keep the good.

bluecollar | 5:18 p.m. Sept. 30, 2009

hmmm... touchy problem.

the smartest solution i've ever heard was "if we help our friends south of our border grow their middle class, fewer of them will feel compelled to come here seeking a better life for themselves and their families."

nafta didn't work. it was well intended, but just didn't contain the provisions necessary to create good jobs in latin american countries while protecting desirable jobs at home.

if only a nafta II could throw out the bad and improve the good...

most latin american countries proscribe to laissez faire which enables wealthy businessmen and multinational corporations to exploit workers, hence very low wages, poor working conditions and little job security.

the long-term solution is to invest in low cost education for latin america's poor classes.
the US benefit would be fewer undocumented immigrants and fewer of the social problems they present. it would cost less in the long run than chasing gangs, raiding businesses, prosecuting, deporting, jailing, or executing.

the benefit to human lives would be enormous.

itsjustme | 5:35 p.m. Sept. 30, 2009

Put repeat deportees in prison and throw away the key. They like being in this country so much, they shouldn't mind our prisons. With all of the trouble they cause, it would be a deserved sentence.

Half Will Be Deported? | 5:43 p.m. Sept. 30, 2009

What the heck? These criminals will be deported so they can come right back, just as Melendez-Laine has five times?

Federal prisons | 6:28 a.m. Oct. 1, 2009

The best way to incarcerate these illegal gang leaders is to incarcerate them in federal prison camps like Guantanamo bay in Cuba. Soldiers are the prison guards who won't put up with their crap and escaping means dealing with the Cuban government.

This prison would be very appropriate to use because these illegal and criminal foreign nationals are a threat to america breaking federal laws.

The real terrorism threat in America is wandering our streets and neighborhoods and coming from Mexico. The terrorist threat to this county is not in the middle east or Afghanistan, they are being harbored, protected, and financed by our own government and law enforcement.

Who ever claims that these illegals are doing jobs americans won't do is in my books a traitor to their own country. They too should be at Guantanamo Bay with the rest of their friends. Americans will do the jobs, its just that businesses and corporate corruption is so controlled by our elected legislators breaking the backs of the american people with these lies.

RE: Spectrum @ 2:56 pm | 7:28 a.m. Oct. 1, 2009

What do you expect of our local paper? The Spectrum is the poorest excuse of a newspaper. If you are looking for "news" you will not find it there.

Not what it appears | 9:04 a.m. Oct. 1, 2009

Deportation is not a sure thing for any of them. If they do not sign up for voluntary deportation they will get a BIA hearing. Possible results:
1) A run letter, telling them to report for deportation on such-and-such a date. We have over 500,000 illegals out there who ignored their date. In a good year we pick up 35,000 of them. Not bad odds.
Then there is Obama's aunt who had a run letter from 2004. She was living in subsidized housing in Boston! And guess what? She's got another BIA hearing scheduled, hoping for a different ruling this time.
2) The BIA judge could rule that he can stay in the USA.
The sweeps are nice; the outcomes are not so nice. And it isn't hard to come back in, especially since the BP staff has been cut through re-assignment to Canada. That'll make the number of attempted entries down South look even lower.

Over half | 9:30 a.m. Oct. 1, 2009

Over half will be facing deportation!
And people wonder why I'm against illegal aliens?

like guantanimo bay | 11:10 a.m. Oct. 1, 2009

I like that idea. They are terrorist and do not deserve prison in the US.
They are enemies of the state, and foreign invaiders and deserve to be treated as such.
I am refering to these drug dealing slime.
I have nothing against those who want to come to our country to work an honest job.

Finish the job | 3:43 p.m. Oct. 1, 2009

Let's finish the job. Let's round up all the employers that are hiring them.

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