President Trump called on Congress in his “State of the Union” (SOTU) address on Tuesday to “finally close the deadly loopholes” that have allowed the violent, El Salvadorian MS-13 street gang to prosper in the United States.

In his SOTU address, Trump demanded the Republican-controlled Congress pass pro-American legal immigration reforms that would close loopholes that have allowed young, El Salvadorian MS-13 gang members to enter the country.

Trump said:

Tonight, I am calling on the Congress to finally close the deadly loopholes that have allowed MS-13, and other criminals, to break into our country.  We have proposed new legislation that will fix our immigration laws, and support our ICE and Border Patrol Agents, so that this cannot ever happen again. [Emphasis added]

The United States is a compassionate nation.  We are proud that we do more than any other country to help the needy, the struggling, and the underprivileged all over the world.  But as President of the United States, my highest loyalty, my greatest compassion, and my constant concern is for America’s children, America’s struggling workers, and America’s forgotten communities.  I want our youth to grow up to achieve great things.  I want our poor to have their chance to rise. [Emphasis added]

So tonight, I am extending an open hand to work with members of both parties — Democrats and Republicans — to protect our citizens of every background, color, religion, and creed.  My duty, and the sacred duty of every elected official in this chamber, is to defend Americans — to protect their safety, their families, their communities, and their right to the American Dream. Because Americans are dreamers too. [Emphasis added]

As Breitbart Texas recently reported, about one-third of MS-13 gang members in the U.S. could have been classified as “Unaccompanied Minor Children” (UAC), with more than 40,000 UAC border-crossers being resettled across the country in Fiscal Year 2017.

Through the UAC program, young foreign nationals are resettled in the interior of the country, allowing the MS-13 gang to exploit the resettlement program to gain more ground and traction across the U.S.

In 2017, Breitbart News reported how the resettlement of UACs has not stopped under the Trump administration, as the immigration loopholes that would make the program more restrictive have yet to be implemented and championed by the Republican-controlled Congress.

John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.