The Latest: Parents of slain teens meet with Jeff Sessions

BRENTWOOD, N.Y. – The latest on efforts to thwart violence by the street gang MS-13, which has been blamed for 11 deaths on Long Island since last year (All times local):

2:40 p.m.

The parents of two Long Island teenagers slain in a suspected MS-13 gang killing say they’re pleased with their meeting with U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

Evelyn Rodriguez’s 16-year-old daughter, Kayla Cuevas, was killed last September near her home in Brentwood. She says the attorney general listened intently as she and others expressed concerns for their children’s safety. Killed with Kayla was her 15-year-old friend Nisa Mickens.

Sessions visited Long island on Friday after a spate of suspected gang violence in Brentwood and neighbouring Central Islip (EYE’-slip). The bodies of 11 people have been found in parks, local streets and vacant lots since last September.

Police believe the killings are the work of MS-13, a gang believed to have been founded in Los Angeles by immigrants from El Salvador.

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11:20 a.m.

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has talked tough on immigration enforcement and cracking down on the MS-13 street gang in a speech to law enforcement officials on Long Island.

The attorney general’s appearance Friday comes amid a spate of violence in two communities near the federal courthouse where he spoke in Central Islip. The bodies of 11 people have been found in parks and vacant lots since last September. Police believe the killings are the work of MS-13.

Sessions said the Trump administration is standing firm on its commitment to enforce immigration laws. He also said he is committed to helping law enforcement battle the street gangs.

He said the killings on Long Island are an assault on law and safety “and we’re not going to let it happen.”

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9 a.m.

Dozens of people who support immigrants are protesting outside a New York courthouse where U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions will be discussing the violent street gang that’s gripping a suburban area with fear.

A Catholic nun from Brentwood, Long Island, Sister Catherine Fitzgibbon, says area’s “very good” and “hardworking” residents fear both the MS-13 gang and immigration enforcement.

Security was extremely tight around the courthouse Friday.

The gang has been blamed for the deaths of 11 mostly young people in blue-collar Brentwood and Central Islip (EYE’-slihp) since last year.

Some parents fear letting their children go to school. Teens say any perceived slight to a gang member can mean death.

President Donald Trump says the killings are the result of immigration policies that let too many criminals slip through. MS-13 has Central American ties.

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12:40 a.m.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions plans to visit one of the suburbs on New York’s Long Island that is in the grip of fear from a violent street gang with Central American ties, MS-13.

The gang has been blamed for the deaths of 11 mostly young people in blue-collar Brentwood and Central Islip since the school year began.

Some parents say they are afraid to let their children go to school. Teens say any perceived slight to a gang member, particularly a refusal to join, can mean death.

President Donald Trump says the killings are the result of immigration policies that let too many criminals slip through. Sessions plans to discuss the issue with law enforcement officers at the federal courthouse where some of the suspects are facing possible death penalty sentences.