The Northern Virginia Regional Gang Task Force just released a report which claims that due to tougher laws and a concerted effort by law enforcement, many illegal alien gangs are leaving Virginia for the safe havens of Maryland.

The report said: "Many gang members from Northern Virginia are moving or driving to Prince George’s and other Maryland counties, into the District of Columbia or further south and west into Virginia to avoid dealing with police departments that are unrelenting in their efforts to keep gangs under control.”

The report also found that there are 5,000 gang members in Northern Va., including 3,000 MS-13 members. Because of more cooperation between local and federal agencies, violent crime in the region has decreased by 17 percent from 2003-2008.

However, as a direct result of Maryland’s continued lax attitude toward illegal immigration, the state’s sanctuary cities, and lack of cooperation with federal authorities, violent crimes committed by illegal aliens have recently soared.

Maryland is also one of a handful of states which issues driver’s licenses to illegal aliens. Additionally, the Maryland State Board of Education recently announced that they will not allow county school districts to count the number of illegal alien students registered in their respective districts.

Several high profile murders committed by illegal aliens in Montgomery County, MD forced city officials to change their policy in reporting criminal aliens to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. However, as Judicial Watch recently pointed-out, Montgomery County police only report illegal aliens to the feds when they have been arrested for a very serious crime such as rape or murder.

Illegal aliens arrested for burglary, simple assault, and most weapons violations are still not reported to ICE for deportation. Just as with any offender, bail is set for them and they are released back onto the streets to either commit more crimes in the county or to flee elsewhere.

The following is a short list of some of the violent crimes recently committed by illegal aliens in Montgomery County, MD:

-In July 2009, Edwin Umana, 21, was stabbed to death by seven Hispanic gang members.

-In November 2008, Tai Lam, 14 was shot to death on a crowded bus by 20-year-old MS-13 member and Takoma Park resident Hector Mauricio Hernandez. Unfortunately, this killing could have been avoided if Hernandez had been reported to federal authorities a month earlier, when the illegal alien was released after being caught carrying a concealed weapon.

-In October 2008, police arrested Honduran national Jose Juan Garcia-Perlera, 33, for the murder of Frances Havenstein, 63, after being linked to the crime with DNA evidence. He was also charged with several counts of robbery in a string of home invasions which targeted elderly homeowners. He always tied-up his victims, one of whom was 92-years-old.

At the time of his arrest, Garcia-Perlera was living in Hyattsville, MD and working for an electrical contractor. He had been in the country illegally for six years.

-In September 2008, while at a local mall, a Gaithersburg teenager was stabbed nearly 50 times by gang members Ricardo Mejia, 16, Oswaldo Michael Lainez, 16, Omar Diaz, 16, and Edgar Garcia, 15. Though he was stabbed in the heart, the teen survived the attack. All of the assailants were charged as adults with attempted first-degree murder, first-degree assault, reckless endangerment and two conspiracy charges.

In April 2009, Montgomery County Police Chief J. Thomas Manger announced that criminal activity committed by illegal alien gangs MS-13 and the Latin Kings had increased significantly and accounted for the higher numbers of serious crimes such as rape, robbery, and murder.

According to the Maryland State’s Attorney’s Office, there are 40 active gangs in Montgomery County with a total of about 1,150 members.

Chief of the FBI’s MS-13 National Gang Task Force, Aaron Escorza recently said that gangs “know what law enforcement is doing. Word of mouth spreads quickly.” Illegal alien gangs are now spreading the word that Maryland is part of the “wild wild East.”

In December 2008, the Center for Immigration Studies released a comprehensive report on law enforcement’s handling of illegal alien gangs, entitled “Taking Back Our Streets.“ An excerpt taken directly from that report follows:

“Consider the case of Milton Calderon-Menendez (age 25, citizen of El Salvador), who was arrested in March 2008, by the Prince William County, Va., gang unit. Following procedures put in place just weeks before, Prince William police checked his immigration status and learned that Calderon was an illegal alien. The policy also requires them to notify ICE, which promptly put a hold on Calderon so that he would be held pending immigration charges, and would not be released (under Virginia law, illegal aliens are presumed to be ineligible for bail). As it turned out, Calderon had been arrested nine months before in Montgomery County, Md., about 40 miles away, for punching a 15-year old in the face. Calderon had admitted to Montgomery police that he was a member of MS-13. However, that department’s policy is to not inquire about immigration status. Montgomery County released Calderon on $2,500 bail and told him to return a month later for trial. He did not. About three days after his scheduled trial, Calderon and a friend assaulted the friend’s roommate — the friend beat his roommate in the head with a baseball bat while Calderon stabbed him in the chest. It was after this attack that Calderon was arrested in the neighboring state of Virginia.”

The Congressional Research Service has listed the following cities and counties that have “don’t ask, don’t tell” sanctuary policies in place:

-Anchorage, Alaska
-Fairbanks, Alaska
-Chandler, Arizona
-Tucson, Arizona
-Fresno, California
-Los Angeles, California
-San Bernardino, California
-San Diego, California
-San Jose, California
-Sonoma County, California
-Denver, Colorado
-Durango, Colorado
-Lafayette, Colorado
-Chicago, Illinois
-Cicero, Illinois
-Evanston, Illinois
-Cambridge, Massachusetts
-Orleans, Massachusetts
-Portland, Maine
-Baltimore, Maryland
-Takoma Park, Maryland
-Ann Arbor, Michigan
-Detroit, Michigan
-Minneapolis, Minnesota
-Durham, North Carolina
-Albuquerque, New Mexico
-Aztec, New Mexico
-Rio Ariba County, New Mexico
-Santa Fe, New Mexico
-Rio Arriba County, New Mexico
-Sante Fe, New Mexico
-New York, New York
-Ashland, Oregon
-Gaston, Oregon
-Marion County, Oregon
-Austin, Texas
-El Cenizo, Texas
-Houston, Texas
-Katy, Texas
-Seattle, Washington
-Madison, Wisconsin.

Both Alaska and Oregon have state-wide policies that forbid state agencies from using resources to enforce federal immigration law. Oregon law, however, does provide an exception to allow law enforcement officers to share information on immigration status with federal authorities with those arrested for criminal offenses.