CLEVELAND — A new law enforcement task force is up and running here in Northeast Ohio, one that is laser-focused on tracking down and arresting criminals who are in the United States illegally.
The Trump Administration implemented changes giving multiple federal agencies Title 8 authority.
“Title 8 is basically immigration enforcement, “ said Thomas Gergye, Drug Enforcement Administration assistant special agent in charge. “Our role is to support the activities of locating illegal criminal aliens that are operating in within this area."
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) is heading up the task force. It comprises members of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the U.S. Marshals Service.
All task force members have been given additional powers to help U.S. Immigration and Enforcement (ICE) with immigration operations.
“We are targeting those illegal criminal aliens, especially on the DEA front, who are dabbling and selling narcotics,” said Gergye.
The federal agencies were given the expanded power in January.
Authorities said a large majority of drugs being sold on the streets of Cleveland are coming from Mexican Drug Cartels. Now, those cartels are being classified as terrorist organizations.
Cleveland is just one of the cities across the country that now has this type of task force, putting more manpower on the streets to target criminals who are in the United States illegally.
