The Department of Homeland Security rolled out a campaign on Wednesday targeting criminals “with ties” to New York City.
The DHS’s Homeland Security Investigations agency and the FBI are co-leading the task force, branded as the “first-of-its-kind” effort that is being aided by a host of agencies ranging from the New York Police Department to the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which is headed by Tulsi Gabbard.
Homeland Security Task Force New York will work with local, state, and federal officials to dismantle and prosecute criminal cartels, foreign gangs, and transnational criminal organizations in New York and throughout the U.S., according to the Trump administration.
“The historic collaboration of this Task Force strengthens the mission to protect our citizens by standing between our Districts and the transnational criminal organizations, human smugglers, and cybercriminals who target us with drug trafficking, violence, and economic harm,” U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella, Jr. said in a press release announcing the task force.
HSTF New York will primarily focus on investigating groups designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations, “combining the full strength of the investigative and intelligence forces of the U.S. government,” according to the DHS. The department said one key component of the new task force will be the ability to combine information from intelligence community partners with law enforcement investigations.
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Doing so will “increase our effectiveness in combating and dismantling the threat,” the Trump administration said.
Similar HSTFs across the country have arrested over 3,200 foreign terrorists, narcotraffickers, and “gangbangers” during 400 operations that took place between August 25 and October 7, according to statistics provided by DHS. Officials seized more than 91 metric tons of narcotics, over $3 million in currency during those operations, as well as over 1,000 Sinaloa members, 641 MS-13 members, and 456 Tren de Aragua criminals, the agency said.