MARAS TRANSNACIONALES: Origins and Transformations of Central American Street Gangs

With an estimated total membership of 100,000-140,000 individuals, Mara Salvatrucha (MS or MS-13) and Calle 18 (Dieciocho) are the largest street gangs in northern Central America (Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras) and in the Central American immigrant community in the United States. Although MS-13 and Dieciocho are often referred to as Central American street gangs, because of the national origin of their members, this label is questionable insofar as both groups originated in East Los Angeles, where Mexican and Salvadoran immigrants seeking economic opportunities or respite from U.S.-sponsored civil war found themselves engulfed in racism and social exclusion, conditions propitious for gang formation. The debate as to whether they ought to be classified as U.S. or even transnational street gangs remains unresolved. The United States has dealt with its domestic gang situation primarily through the suppression and mass deportation of foreign-born members. However, these practices are ineffective in tackling structural problems and in discouraging the illegal reentry of deportees. Central America's own gang problem dates back to the 1970s, but it was long overshadowed by the political violence that swept through the region. For two decades, numerous territorial or neighborhood-based entities offered socially marginalized youths a means to hang out, party, fight their rivals, and engage in a range of illicit pursuits. With the end of armed conflict in the region, some of these groups dissolved, and the gangs that U.S. deportation implanted in the isthmus absorbed others. Disaffection and continued marginalization prompted many returning youths to continue what they knew best, and their comparatively smarter dress, wealth, and romanticized tales of gang life held a fascination that local adolescents found hard to resist. Adapted from the source document.