Wichita ? Federal immigration officials and Wichita police arrested 22 Mexican gang members in a roundup targeting four violent street gangs, authorities announced Wednesday.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said the suspects were members or associates of the Vato Loco Boys, Sureno 13, Players for Life and North Side Gangsters gangs. The local effort was part of a national program called “Operation Community Shield.”

Nine of the suspects were already in custody during the planning stages on warrants for burglary, theft assault, drive-by shootings, weapons violations and other crimes, ICE said. They will be deported after their cases are finalized.

The remaining 13 gang members arrested in the one-day sweep are illegal immigrants who will be returned to Mexico, ICE said.

“We are glad to see it,” said Dennis Romero, co-chairman of Peoples Alliance for Latino Advancement in Kansas.

Romero said the right thing to do was send the suspects back to Mexico, which he said doesn’t tolerate armed gang members walking around with shaved heads and sagging pants.

“Those are the ones that break into houses. … They are the ones who shoot each other and make us all look like a bunch of thugs,” Romero said.

Activist Bob Hernandez said most Hispanics living in the United States are law-abiding citizens who are in the country legally. The majority do not have a problem with police going after gang members, he said.

“If people are doing something wrong, then they should pay the consequences,” Hernandez said.

Antonio Farias, agent in charge of the ICE investigations office in Wichita, said in a news release that his agency’s immigration enforcement authority complements other law enforcement agencies.

“Together, we can effectively remove dangerous gang members and their associates from the streets to make our communities safer,” Farias said.

Wichita Police Chief Norman Williams said the department would continue to aggressively address gang violence to make the city safer.

Since the inception of Operation Community Shield in February 2005, more than 8,000 gang members belonging to more than 700 different gangs have been arrested, according to ICE.