Authorities have moved aggressively in response. A dozen people have been charged in connection with the deaths - one with first-degree murder. Ten were scooped up last Monday in a joint raid by state, county, local, and federal agents.
Hispanic gangs have operated in and around Kennett for more than a decade, as the Mexican population has swelled, but they generally keep a low profile and, for the most part, have been involved in only minor criminality. Authorities want to keep it that way.
"We stay on top of it. We're not going to let any groups ruin the lives of law-abiding citizens," said Kennett Square Mayor Matt Fetick.
He and other officials include the burgeoning Hispanic population among the law-abiding.
"When you go into the majority of these homes, you see an American flag," said Albert McCarthy, chief of police in adjoining Kennett Township. "These are people that want to demonstrate their patriotism; they don't want to be associated with gangs."
Mexican migrants began arriving here in large numbers in the 1970s to work in the mushroom industry - the 61 area farms produce nearly half the mushrooms consumed in the United States.
Most came from rural areas of Mexico and had farming backgrounds and little formal education, said Margarita Queralt Mirkil, executive director of La Comunidad Hispana, an advocacy agency for immigrants and low-income residents.
Thanks to immigration amnesties, many stayed, gaining legal residency and citizenship. Their children were often born here. From 2000 to 2010, Kennett Square's Hispanic population surged from 1,470 to 2,963, making up nearly half the residents.
Mirkil said another attraction for Mexican immigrants is that the area maintains a welcoming, inclusive atmosphere and bears no resemblance to a large city.
