    [United States Statutes at Large, Volume 132, 115th Congress, 2nd Session]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    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

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    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 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.
    DONALD J. TRUMP