Law enforcement agencies across the country completed last week a four-month nationwide crackdown on gangs, arresting 1,759 people, the New York Times reports.

Police and federal officers carried out raids in 28 states, including New York, focusing on urban areas. They arrested gang members, associates, other criminals and immigration violators from more than 20 countries.

The action was an annual nationwide sweep of international gangs in the United States. The crackdown began in 2005 to limit the Salvadoran gang MS-13. Now authorities target all gangs with international ties. This has led to the arrest of 11,106 gang members and their associates.

"We now have over 890 gangs in the United States that we've been able to target," Brandon Alvarez-Montgomery of Immigration and Customs Enforcement told the Times.

Nearly all of the arrested foreigners face deportation proceedings. But many face criminal charges, including murder, rape, drug distribution, firearm violations and illegal re-entry after deportation.

The federal action assists state and local law enforcement agencies, providing intelligence on gangs. With federal help, a Georgia case involving eight murders was found to be related to a methamphetamine ring involving Mexican illegal aliens. Eighty people have been arrested in that investigation, including all the killers.