A rural Maryland sheriff on Tuesday blamed President Obama's open-door immigration policy for a surge in gangland crime that included a retaliation murder and assault on an officer doing paperwork in his cruiser.

"Case by case amnesty, backdoor amnesty, DACA programs, and the Dream Act were pushed through by executive order," said Frederick County Sheriff Charles Jenkins.

"Policy shifts by President Obama weakened and ruined Secure Communities, and did not allow action by ICE when Sheriffs and police departments ignored detainers, allowing criminal to be released back on the streets. In effect, criminal aliens that should have been deported have been allowed to remain and commit more serious crimes becoming violent offenders," he told the House Judiciary Committee probing the criminal impact of illegals in the United States.

He was joined by family members of victims of illegal immigrant crime, a surging issue around the nation as Obama's policies allow more unauthorized aliens to leave jail and remain in the country.

Frederick is north of Washington, D.C., but has become a haven for criminal "transnational" gangs, especially in high schools. Members of MS-13 and 18th Street gangs have become influential in the schools and county.

"Transnational alien gangs are structured criminal enterprises involved in drug and human trafficking, crimes of violence over turf, retaliation, money laundering, and other serious crime. As these gangs are recruiting locally and increasing in number, so does the associated crime within communities," said Jenkins.

He gave some details on the crimes by immigrant gangs in his county:

— There are over 75 active known validated transnational criminal gang members in Frederick County, many more suspected of gang affiliation. We also believe that MS-13 and 18th Street alien gangs are recruiting, locally, in our schools, in the region, and out of country.

— Of the 52 validated criminal alien gang members identified since ..2008, 25 of the 52 (48%), were identified since late 2014.

— 18 of the 25 (72%) gang members encountered since 2014 have been charged with felonies.

— 7 of 11 (64%) of the criminal alien gang members encountered in 2015 were unaccompanied juveniles when they entered the U.S and eventually located to Frederick County, Maryland. Now they are adults committing serious felonies.

— Crimes committed include; 5 occurrences Attempted 1st and 2nd Degree Murder, Armed Robbery, 1st Degree Assault, Home Invasion, Armed Carjacking, Kidnapping, Use of a Firearm in the Commission of a Violent Felony, Carrying Concealed Deadly Weapons.

— In 2014, 8 criminal aliens charged with rape and sexual assault of children ages 5-14, with two of the girls impregnated.

— One of my deputies was the victim of an unprovoked physical attack/assault by an MS-13 gang member while sitting in his cruiser doing paperwork.

— The U.S. District Court recently indicted a known alien gang member for involvement in a 2013 MS-13 hired killing in Frederick. The victim in the killing fled El Salvador to live in Frederick because of an MS-13 hit for him there, but the hit order carried to a local MS-13 clique. The victim was lured to a wooded area where he was shot in the head and stabbed to death.

— The growing alien gang problem has spread into one high school where fights and violence between MS-13 and 18th Street are routine.

Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner's "Washington Secrets" columnist, can be contacted at pbedard@washingtonexaminer.com