Transnational Gangs and Immigration
August 2015, 907 murders, and average of 25 murders per day committed by 13-15 year old gang members. (Transnational Gangs Part 1;Understanding the Threat, 2016) El Salvador is the epicenter of gang activity in Central America and the largest influence on gang activity in the US. Showing no respect for law enforcement, borders, and little for human life gang violence is a requirement for young teens to become members of the La Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, and the 18th Street gangs. Two years of initiation culminating in at least one murder are required to obtain membership in these gangs.
Many of the leaders of the different factions of these gangs order members to commit crimes in the US. Both MS-13 and 18th Street gangs have positioned themselves in many places within US borders. The FBI reports as many as 42 states including the District of Columbia have operating cliques of MS-13. (The MS-13 Threat, 2008). MS-13 is involved in a large amount of criminal activities, ranging from car theft to murder. The gang is extremely violent, but mostly toward rival gangs which unfortunately involve innocent citizens caught in the violent crossfire. (The MS-13 Threat, 2008) The threat level is medium in the majority of the US bit is considered high in the western states, northeast, and any place where the Salvadoran immigrant population is larger. (The MS-13 Threat, 2008)
The 18th Street gang also known as Barrio 18 has become one of the largest
In todays United States we have a huge problem affecting society, gangs and the violence that follows them wherever they go. These days’ gangs aren’t just compiled of grown adults, they often lure in young teens to do dirty work and to add numbers to their turf. Despite laws aimed straight at these gangs they still defy the law and wreak havoc upon the territory that they claim. The members in the gang have a gang first mentality and will do everything possible to provide for and protect their fellow members. They will very rarely snitch on their own to help put a stop to some of the meaningless crimes committed by these savages.
Chapter Four is entitled, “[The] Scope and Nature of the Current Gang Problem.” It focuses on recent trends in number of gangs, gang members and gang-related crimes in each city. In Inglewood, almost all the neighborhoods were claimed by at least one gang, with gang-unit officers agreeing that the city was facing a major gang problem. In Albuquerque, gangs were involved in drug trafficking and property offenses, with 7 out of 8 gang-unit officers believing the city had a major gang problem. In Las Vegas, migration from other cities was thought to be the primary cause of an increase in gang members. 50% of crime in Las Vegas is attributed to gangs, with most officers believing they had a moderate to major gang problem. In Phoenix, the gang problem is described as wave-like, with 70% of gang-unit officers thinking the city had a major gang problem. These statistics were backed up through interviews with officers and city records.
Born in LA in the 1980’s, expanding to parts of Canada, Spain, England, and Germany becoming bigger and dangerous day by day. La Mara can now be found in Washington D.C, Oregon, Alaska, Arkansas, Texas, Nevada, Utah, Oklahoma, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Maryland, Virginia, Georgia, and Florida just alone in the United States. In Central America they can be found in El Salvador, Mexico, Guatemala and several other Latin countries. MS-13 is considered to be one of the most dangerous and organized in the world (altereddimensions.net).There are two ways to get into the gang. For males one is to get jumped in, which means the new recruit is surround by numerous members and beaten for at least 13 seconds. The other way is by killing either an enemy gang member or just a simple killing. For females there is a third option which is to get having sexual intercourse with several MS members or as they call it gang banged. MS-13 has many similar criminal characteristics as other gang such as: smuggling drugs, people, and weapons. The biggest difference with MS-13 is the willingness to use brutality in all their activities (keysaferschools.com).
The gangs have formed part of Central America. For a long time, but in the early 1980s they began to work. There are numerous reasons for the gangs to grow because of the lack of education, culture of violence, poverty, and dysfunctional families. The two largest gangs are the Mara Salvatrucha known as MS-13 or Maras and The Eighteen Street gang also known as Barrio 18. The Barrio 18 despises MS 13. The rise of the Maras happened with the migration and the blend of different street cultures. The gang known as Barrio 18 was originally formed by Mexicans immigrants. Over the years, each gang has grown and taken up 60 percent of the population. These gangs have taken over the territories and have also controlled over some prisons
This week I read chapter 5 of American street gangs (old book) Tim Deleany mentioned 3 points of what happens inside a gang that many don’t know, the first point is the categories they have based on the age the recruits are, the second point is the categories they are placed in depending on the activities they are involved, the third point is the process that involves the recruitment, punishment, and leaving the gang. At the conclusion of the paper I would be providing an experience my uncle went through when he was leaving the gang.
At any rate, it is very clear that some youths engage in more gang activity than others; some might be called "the wannabes" who move out of the influence of the gang on the basis of whether or not a program of interest intercepts drawing them completely away from the gang. Within the "wannabes" there are many little brothers and sisters, sometimes referred to as "pee wees." However, on separate and certain occasions they are sent home by their older siblings when something was about to happen for which only older members were being mobilized. Moreover, I am going to go into explicit detail on two Hispanic gangs The Mexican Mafia, the Nuestra Familia, and the Latin Kings.
Originating in the United States, ms-13 and similar gangs have had a devastating impact on central America. This article describes the origins from the United States and how through the Los Angeles Riots and other tough on crime policies had the effect of placing many immigrants and criminals back in their home country of central America. The deportees some of that might have been criminals and taken to the United States as children, united in desperation to become ms-13. The article further describes the brutality that the gangs have committed in the region. Through drug trade, smuggling and senseless murder, life in central America has been disturbed by gangs and have become a national security there. The dangers of gangs in central America
These are made possible is through an inmate’s friends and/or girlfriends ( Justice Quarterly, Vol. 20, Iss. 3, 2006). Gangs need strong leaders to maintain their power and connections to the outside world; a single inmate who best embodies the gang’s beliefs usually assumes the role. When the leader is relocated either the gang’s elite decides on a new leader or the strongest remaining gang member assumes the role. Becoming an elite member requires acts of violence that focus on weakening other gangs. Each member takes vows to be loyal and obedient, if the vow is broken they risk losing everything including their life. By deportation of inmates to facilities where they are the minority, the department can ensure that the inmate will be hard-pressed to find new racial alliances. The institution may send an Aryan Brotherhood leader in a facility heavily populated with black inmates. This does not always deter the gang violence as there is always someone to replace the leader; the prison may only increase the gang’s anger toward the system be deporting a leader, encouraging further violence. Despite segregation attempts and lock-down, prison gangs seem to remain more prevalent and visible than ever. There are about six well known prison gangs within the country: Mexican Mafia, La Nuestra Familia, Neta, Black Guerrilla Family, Aryan Brotherhood, and Texas Syndicate. Each one of these gangs has a history
Due to the relative lack of research on Latino/a in the United States, we often take in information of them that is portrayed through the media, which provides negative perspectives that can easily screw a person 's view of Latina/os, especially those who are non Latina/os. Latinos are usually perceived as the drug dealer, illegal immigrant criminal, gang member, etc. Although not every Latino/a is any of the above, and like many other individuals of other races, there are some who do participate in illegal activity. Instead of trying to understand why these things occur, we often label them and tend to ignore/stay away from the issue, neglecting the problem. Therefore, one must understand why some Latino/a decide to join gangs, knowing it
The MS-13 gang has cliques, or factions, located throughout the United States and is unique in that it retains is ties to its El Salvador counterparts. With cliques in Washington DC, Oregon, Alaska, Arkansas, Texas, Nevada, Utah, Oklahoma, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Maryland, Virginia, Georgia, Florida, Canada, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, and several other South American countries, the MS-13 gang is truly "international" and on the verge of becoming the first gang to be categorized as an "organized crime" entity.” (MS13 Gang….)The strength of the gang members is 36,000 in Honduras. The age of the members is normally between 11 to 40 years. Initially started as a defensive organization to protect El Salvadorian immigrants from the cruelty of LA gangs, the gang soon began targeting the members of the Salvadorian community as well. Criminality became a way of life for the M-13 gang members, with no holds barred. It soon turned out to be business of profiteering, and it expanded rapidly across the United States. By the 1990s, its network spread like the octopus growing in all directions, and its membership had reached the East Coast. Initially they were not well-organized. In the early 2000s, the organizational pattern had changed. The leadership of these newly organized units emanated from faraway places like California and El Salvador. Cells began to sprout all over the country. In Texas and the Rio
In the California jail system there are six major prison gangs. The major prison gangs are the Nuestra Familia, the Mexican Mafia, the Aryan Brotherhood, the Black Guerrilla Family, the Northern Structure, or the Nazi Low Riders. There is such a high level of rivalry among gangs that if a member of one group is released too close to another group of gang members then things could explode violently because of the rivalry that is present and they could attack one another. The prisoners must be released in careful order to maintain the peace in. Once the inmates are released to the yard the first member of each gang to be released will claim a spot on the yard for the rest of the gang to gather. Once the gang is gathered at the location that was
The rise in illegal immigrants crossing the border has also fueled gang violence. Young illegal immigrants are increasing being recruited by the notorious MS-13 gang (Bandler). This has resulted in increasing crime rates in the Washington D.C. area (Bandler). Maryland has experienced an unprecedented rise in criminal gang activity in 2016 (Bandler). Illegal immigrants were found to be responsible for 85% of these crimes (Bandler).
In the movie “The world’s most dangerous gangs”, I was extremely shocked to see these people act the way they do. The gang Mara Salvatrucha aka MS-13 is a street gang with over 3,000 people and as of 2009, the gang was invading 33 states. The man goal of this gang is to make money by drug trafficking and block their territory. This specific MS-13 gang started in Los Angeles by a little kid that had no idea what this would turn into now. They all say once you a part of MS-13; you are a part for life. There is no backing out now, unless
The MS-13 and Barrio 18 have played a big role when it comes to crime and violence in El Salvador. However gangs aren’t the only means of violence that El Salvador has. A lot of domestic violence occurs in El Salvador. Domestic violence is often over looked in a country like el Salvador mainly because of its high rate of gang violence, but also cause of it “Machismo” male cultural attitude. Machismo is defined as strong or aggressive masculine pride. This idea is something that is very common in Latin American countries. Domestic violence in El Salvador is so overlooked it is pretty much invisible. All the violence in El Salvador isn’t something that just happened over night, it’s a result of many factors through out the years that have played a role to get the country to the state in which it is
Street gangs in this country can probably be traced back to the first wave of Europeans who migrated to the colonies for a better life for themselves and their families. Many of the first gangs were formed as a means of self protection, with the thinking that there is simply strength in numbers. The missions of gangs in today’s society have grown and emerged to include many violent criminal avenues, including drug trafficking, prostitution, money laundering, and extortion but the original thinking that there is strength in numbers remains true. Criminology experts believe that the number of teens involved in gangs or gang activity may be as high as 1 in every 5 people in most urban areas. Those number jump to 1 in every 3 people in