HOUSTON - Houston Police are trying to keep the Bayou City from becoming a stomping ground for gangs and drug cartels from Mexico.

The brutal and bloody scenes from across the border make headlines nearly every day. The fear for local authorities is that the drug trafficking and violent crime will soon spill into Houston streets. That's why a multi-agency gang task force was formed.

Congressman Mike McCaul met with Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia and HPD officers to discuss how the federal government can continue to help fund the efforts to stop gang violence and prevent the Mexican drug cartels from bringing their level of crime to Houston.

McCaul, who sits on the Homeland Security Committee, compared the cartels to Al Qaeda and said they should be dealt with as terrorists.

Garcia and McCaul called the drug cartels "narco-terrorists."

Garcia said he would like to have the hiring freeze lifted from his department in order to get more "boots on the ground."

HPD has identified more than 200 gangs in the Houston area.