Violent MS-13 gangbangers getting 'desperate'; DHS official credits early Trump action

As President Donald Trump cracks down on illegal immigrant gangs, a priority for his administration during his first 100 days in office, a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official says violent foreign gangs like MS-13 are feeling the heat. 

"These gangs are getting increasingly desperate," Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News Digital. "Designating MS-13 and other gangs as terrorists is certainly helpful. That just gives us broader authorities … as far as deportations go."

Immediately upon taking office, McLaughlin said, the Trump administration began partnering with local law enforcement as part of the 287(g) program, specifically because of their knowledge of the local gang scene. 

President Donald Trump in the Oval Office holding a photo of the tattoos on Abrego Garcia's knuckles that the White House says are affiliated with the MS-13 terrorist group. (Donald Trump Truth Social)

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"Part of the reason we're deputizing state and local law enforcement is, of course, we need more law enforcement bodies, but also they know their localities, and they can help us really target these guys and get them out of the country," she said.

McLaughlin told Fox News Digital that, so far, 2,394 illegal immigrant gang members have been arrested since Trump took office, adding that this is just the tip of the spear of what the administration intends to accomplish. 

"This is just the beginning," she said. "This is just 100 days. We want to get these arrest numbers up. We want to get MS-13, Tren de Aragua — these really bad actors — out of our country. And that's what we're going to deliver on." 

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks during a tour of the Terrorist Confinement Center in Tecoluca, El Salvador, March 26, 2025.  (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

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Trump's early efforts have not gone unnoticed by would-be illegal immigrants, who McLaughlin said are reversing course instead of attempting to cross the border, and illegal immigrants already present in the country. 

Prisoners with MS-13 gang tattoos look out of their cell as Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem tours the Terrorist Confinement Center in Tecoluca, El Salvador, March 26, 2025. (Alex Brandon/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

"Self-deportation is definitely happening. I mean, we see it in our app, the CBP Home app," McLaughlin said. "And that's what we want because it's a lot cheaper. An average deportation and arrest is like $17,000. It's incredibly expensive, and that's probably on the conservative side." 

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McLaughlin noted that when illegal immigrants self-deport, it also reduces the danger to law enforcement authorities who risk life and limb arresting dangerous criminals. 

ERO Boston announced the Sept. 12 arrest of 30-year-old Angel Gabriel Deras-Mejia, a Salvadoran illegal immigrant and documented member of MS-13. (ICE ERO-Boston)

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One of the Trump administration's major victories in the war on MS-13 came at the end of March, when the FBI teamed up with the Prince William County Police Department, the ATF, ICE and the Virginia State Police to arrest one of the gang's top leaders in the United States, 24-year-old Salvadoran national Henrry Josue Villatoro Santos.