The problem of gangs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The problem of gangs - Essay Example This is made up of majority legal and illegal immigrant youth and includes those born in the U.S. by legal and illegal immigrant parents. The Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement data shows that 75% of those arrested are from Mexico and El Salvador from gangs such as 18th Street Gang and Mara Salvatrucha or MS-13 known to have massive illegal immigrant members. In an article released by the National Immigration Law Center it clarified that under New York law as decided by the Board of Immigration Appeals, a youthful offender’s adjudication is not equivalent to a conviction in relation to the Immigration and Nationality Act. This was decided on the â€Å"Matter of Devison-Charles,† given a permanent resident status in the United States in April 1996 who was a citizen of the Dominican Republic. Back in 1992, he was involved in attempted possession of a controlled substance where he was adjudicated as a youth offender. The ruling affirms that conviction under the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 does not apply to juvenile offenders.The liberal policy of a number of states granted to juvenile offenders in view of their immigration status sometimes become an area of abuse wherein states like Florida through its Florida Department of Juvenile Justice increased efforts to impose background checks to ensure those that come into the agency are actually within the age limit. The State Senator was able to get an appropriation for additional funding for such purposes as identifying illegal juvenile immigrants.