July 28 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump will address gang violence in a speech on Friday afternoon, the White House announced.
He will speak at Suffolk County Community College on New York's Long Island. The Washington Post reported the county has seen 17 murders in the past 18 months, local police said. The crimes are attributed to the MS-13 gang, a U.S. group with ties to El Salvador and Honduras. Trump's address is meant to highlight a rise in violence by the gang, as the White House renews an effort to encourage additional funding from the U.S. Congress for increased border security.
In a speech in Youngstown, Ohio, earlier this week, Trump said "we are throwing MS-13 the hell out of here so fast. You know, we're actually -- hard to believe that we're talking about our great country. We are actually liberating towns and cities. We are liberating."
Thomas Homan, acting director of the Justice Department's Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said 3,311 gang members have been arrested in the United States this year, including 100 in the New York City area. Most have an affiliation with MS-13.
Trump is expected to begin his address on Friday at 1:45 p.m.
