NEW YORK (AP) -- Law enforcement officials say they have arrested 45 suspected gang members or affiliates during a recent crackdown in the metropolitan New York area.
They say the joint initiative by federal and local law enforcement included 39 linked to the MS-13 gang. Authorities say the gang has been responsible for nearly 20 killings on Long Island in the past 18 months.
Many of those killings have centered on the Brentwood and Central Islip communities. Victims have included high school students.
The majority of arrests were in Suffolk County, where authorities rounded up 33 suspects on a variety of charges.
Those arrested, all of them male, include nationals from El Salvador (27); Honduras (11); Mexico (5); and Guatemala (2).
Authorities say 12 of the MS-13 members crossed the border as unaccompanied minors.