[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 182 (Wednesday, September 19, 2018)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 47539-47540]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-20563]



[[Page 47537]]

Vol. 83

Wednesday,

No. 182

September 19, 2018

Part V





The President





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Proclamation 9785--National Gang Violence Prevention Week, 2018



Proclamation 9786--National Historically Black Colleges and 
Universities Week, 2018



Proclamation 9787--Prescription Opioid and Heroin Epidemic Awareness 
Week, 2018



Proclamation 9788--Constitution Day, Citizenship Day, and Constitution 
Week, 2018
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  Federal Register / Vol. 83 , No. 182 / Wednesday, September 19, 2018 
/ Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

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                Proclamation 9785 of September 14, 2018

                
National Gang Violence Prevention Week, 2018

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Too many of our Nation's communities are afflicted by 
                terrible and senseless acts of violence committed by 
                members of gangs and cartels. Horrendous, criminal acts 
                have become increasingly common in our cities and towns 
                where the notorious and savage MS-13 and other criminal 
                gangs operate. During National Gang Violence Prevention 
                Week, my Administration commits to continue its 
                steadfast efforts to identify and eradicate the gangs 
                that spread bloodshed, murder our youth, and lay siege 
                to neighborhoods across our country.

                While my Administration has successfully indicted and 
                convicted countless gang members, gang violence still 
                destroys families and threatens our liberty. When 
                street gangs smuggle drugs into our communities, 
                violence, addiction, overdoses, and other criminal 
                activities follow. Extortion, sex trafficking, murder, 
                robbery, and witness intimidation are only some of the 
                evils that trail in the wake of gang activity.

                Our brave law enforcement officers are fearlessly 
                confronting gang violence. They routinely and 
                courageously fight criminal organizations, even in the 
                face of increasingly brazen, hateful attacks. The 
                Department of Justice is partnering with State, local, 
                and tribal law enforcement--including our Nation's 
                3,081 sheriffs--to bolster efforts to combat criminal 
                gangs through comprehensive violent crime reduction 
                initiatives, such as Project Safe Neighborhoods. 
                Additionally, it is increasing the number of Federal 
                prosecutors focused on gang violence and is providing 
                enhanced training on gang investigations to State and 
                local law enforcement agencies. Because of these 
                efforts, we have already seen tremendous success in 
                prosecuting gang-based violent crime and reducing the 
                influence of criminal gangs.

                I have also instructed my Administration to 
                aggressively address transnational criminal 
                organizations, especially MS-13. Organized and led from 
                Central America, MS-13 has entrenched its claws in 
                communities from the East Coast to the West Coast. Its 
                growing influence poses a serious risk to our country's 
                youth and community safety. Through increased 
                interagency efforts and the creation of collaborative 
                task forces that include both Federal agencies and 
                State and local law enforcement, we have made great 
                strides in protecting our Nation's most vulnerable 
                communities from MS-13's violence and greatly 
                diminished its ability to recruit new members. Earlier 
                this year, Operation Matador demonstrated the success 
                of these efforts, resulting in the indictment of dozens 
                of MS-13 gang members for Federal racketeering 
                offenses.

                While this progress is promising, the scourge of MS-13 
                and other transnational criminal organizations will not 
                abate until our Nation's borders are fully secure and 
                those who seek to harm us are no longer able to exploit 
                loopholes in our broken immigration laws. In the past 
                year, United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement 
                (ICE) has arrested more than 4,800 criminal gang 
                members, including nearly 796 arrests related to MS-13. 
                We are grateful for the often dangerous work ICE 
                conducts each day to enforce the law, secure our 
                border, and keep us safe. The Congress must take action 
                to protect public safety and national security by 
                providing

[[Page 47540]]

                the necessary resources to secure our borders and close 
                the dangerous loopholes in our laws that leave our 
                borders open to dangerous exploitation.

                This week, we rededicate ourselves to dismantling, and 
                ultimately eradicating, criminal gang organizations, 
                which threaten our way of life. Let us strengthen our 
                resolve to protect our communities from gang violence 
                and to ensure they are places where all Americans can 
                live, work, and raise their families. We also reaffirm 
                our duty to support members of law enforcement, who, 
                every day, place their lives on the line to protect and 
                save anyone in need--be it family members, friends, 
                neighbors, or strangers.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the 
                United States, do hereby proclaim the week of September 
                16 through September 22, 2018, as ``National Gang 
                Violence Prevention Week.'' I call upon the people of 
                the United States to observe this week with appropriate 
                ceremonies and activities.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                fourteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord 
                two thousand eighteen, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                third.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2018-20563
Filed 9-18-18; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F8-P