They have been linked to more crime than any Mexican cartel in the Rio Grande Valley.
As they grow in numbers, gangs pose more of a threat to Valley law enforcement.
"Our local gangs are a bigger menace to our way of life than anything else," Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Trevino said.
While they were a small part of the conversation, Sheriff Trevino said gangs did come up when he spoke with U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.
While they are a problem, Trevino said gang issues should not be handled by the federal government.
"If we need their resources, if we need their databases that's fine,” Trevino said. “The gangs are a local problem that should be dealt with by local police departments."
One of those ways is to create a Regional Gang Taskforce.
This way all law enforcement within the region can pull together all of their resources to combat these gangs.
It is an idea San Juan Police Chief Juan Gonzalez supports 100 percent.
"We can identify individuals….they will all come out to one single database and can all be identified."
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