Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, said that a whistleblower turned over documents that showed more than a dozen apprehended illegal alien teenagers–who admitted to being MS-13 members–were released by the Obama Administration to homes throughout the United States.

According to the report from The Washington Times, the Obama Administration knowingly let in at least 16 admitted MS-13 gang members in 2014, all of whom entered the U.S. as teenagers.

Citing internal documents, Johnson said that the teens were moved to juvenile homes after being released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

“CBP apprehended them, knew they were MS-13 gang members, and they processed and disbursed them into our communities,” Johnson said.

Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) criticized the release of the documents by the whistleblower, indicating it may hurt active investigations and attempts to remove MS-13 members from communities across the country.

“I have concerns that these documents were released so quickly,” McCaskill said.

The 16 MS-13 members were part of the influx of UAC, or “unaccompanied alien children,” from Central America in 2014 that overwhelmed Border Patrol agents.

“Mr. Johnson said the image of UAC as little children is misleading. Out of nearly 200,000 UAC apprehended between from 2012 to 2016, 68 percent were ages 15, 16 or 17 — meaning older teens. The majority were also male, making them targets for gang recruiting,” The Washington Times noted.

Although security analysts at the time indicated that the children were prime targets for gang recruitment, U.S. officials in the Obama Administration decided to treat them as refugees.

In April 2017, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said that MS-13 could qualify as a terrorist organization – a move designate the gang as such is supported by 47 percent of Americans and opposed by only 17 percent.

The devastation caused by MS-13, an El Salvadorian street gang, can be seen throughout the United States where they have left a trail of dead bodies in their wake.

Recent murders across the U.S. in cities such as Houston, New York, and Lynchburg led Sessions to focus his attention and the resources of the federal government to combat MS-13.

“The MS-13 motto is kill, rape and control,” Sessions said while speaking in Long Island. “I have a message to the gangs that are targeting our young people: We are targeting you. We are coming after you.”

Ryan Saavedra is a contributor for Breitbart Texas and can be found on Twitter at @RealSaavedra.