National Gang Violence Prevention Week, 2017

( printed page 44293) Proclamation 9641 of September 15, 2017 National Gang Violence Prevention Week, 2017 A Proclamation Every day, innocent Americans are the victims of terrible crimes perpetrated by violent gangs and criminal cartels. During National Gang Violence Prevention Week, my Administration pledges to restore justice to American communities and keep evil off our streets by eradicating the gangs that commit these despicable acts. During the previous Administration, the number of gangs and gang members reached an alarming 20-year high. In 2015 alone, homicides spiked by 17 percent in America's 50 largest cities—the largest increase in 25 years. Gangs continue to evolve and adapt. Today they have expanded to almost 1.5 million members nationwide who perpetrate an average of 48 percent of violent crimes in most jurisdictions and up to 90 percent in others. My Administration will not stand by idly as these menacing gangs threaten the safety and security of our communities. Particularly, we must address the rise of violent transnational criminal gangs, such as MS-13, that have infiltrated our neighborhoods and recruited our vulnerable young people. Weak border security, failure to enforce immigration laws already on the books, and sanctuary cities have emboldened criminals to enter the United States illegally and enabled gang and transnational cartel members to engage with impunity in illegal human and drug trafficking, corruption and fraud, and barbaric acts including violence, sexual assaults, and murder. My Administration has pledged to identify and eradicate transnational organized crime, gangs, and gang violence. During my first 100 days as President, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency led a coordinated effort to capture more than 30,000 convicted criminal aliens, including more than 1,000 gang members and affiliates. Many of these arrests were of immigration fugitives who had committed heinous acts of gang violence: smuggling, sex crimes…