The Department of Justice has asked an interagency task force to step up efforts to fight the violent transnational MS-13 gang, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced Monday.

The Justice Department's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force will make MS-13 a priority, Sessions said during a speech to the International Association of Chiefs of Police in Philadelphia. The task force often goes after drug kingpins, traffickers and cartels, and includes the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Internal Revenue Service, and the U.S. Coast Guard.

"Now they will go after MS-13 with a renewed vigor and a sharpened focus. I am announcing that I have authorized them to use every lawful tool to investigate MS-13, not just our drug laws, but everything from RICO to our tax laws to our firearms laws," Sessions said. "Just like we took Al Capone off the streets with our tax laws, we will use whatever laws we have to get MS-13 off of our streets."

According to a 2008 FBI assessment, MS-13 — which has strong ties to El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua — had as many as 10,000 members across 42 states. Session and President Trump have both said taking down the gang is a top priority of the administration.