MS-13 Gang History

Abstract

The dynamics of gang and crimes have taken a radical shift in United States. The Mara Salvatrucha 13 (MS-13) gang is not a new name but rather a kind of specialized and organized criminal group. The impecunious inner cities and states of United States have grown tough, violent criminal gangs. The inner city gang is no more confined to one state but has spread across 42 states of United States. Most of the criminal activities conducted by MS-13 gang are done on whim. The paper discusses the history and beginning of criminal activities of MS-13 gang. Moreover, the paper also explains the CLEAR Act of 2003. Further, the specialized crimes in which MS-13 is involved are highlighted. Lastly, the gang members of MS-13 are elaborated identifying their operations and characteristics.

Abstract1

Introduction3

The history of MS-13 Gang3

Discussion4

The beginning of MS-13 Gang4

Law enforcement for MS-13 Gang5

Size and Member of MS-13 Gang6

Specialized Crimes of MS-13 Gang7

Operations and Characteristics8

Conclusion9

MS-13 Gang History

Introduction

The history of MS-13 Gang

The Mara Salvatrucha gang which is most famously known as MS-13 is a transnational criminal gang that originated from Los Angeles. The gang was found in 1980s by immigrants fleeing civil war in El Salvador. The gang is named after a street in El Salvador, 13th street in Los Angeles. The gang is believed to control millions of dollars in assets which are generated through criminal activities of different types. The MS-13 gang was established by Salvadoran and consists of majorly Guatemalans and Hondurans (Kencert, 2011). The Latin word Mara Salvatrucha means, Mara is for gang in Spanish. The MS-13 gang is one of the long lines of immigrant gangs.

The basic belief of this gang is to create and show respect for Latina/Latino. However, the belief of MS-13gang is that anyone can join them and they are not racist at all, but against racism. The gang has spread its members to different parts of the world such as other states of United States, Canada, Mexico and Central America (Kencert, 2011). MS-13 gang constitutes of ethnically composed of Central Americans which are majorly active in urban and suburban areas.

The main presence of this gang is especially in Los Angeles from where it started and San Francisco Bay area. Moreover, the members of this gang are also present in large numbers in Northern California, the Washington D.C., Virginia, Maryland, Prince George's Country, Long Island, Texas, Houston and North Carolina. The members of MS gang are present in the states of Toronto and Ontario in Canada.

Discussion

The beginning of MS-13 Gang

The MS-13 gang was founded by the immigrants in United States after the civil wars. The MS-13 gang did not consumed much time in organizing themselves against the local gangs in Los Angeles. The gang was composed of immigrants and refugees who wanted protection and security from others. The exiting rivals at that time took notice of their activities and after some time they made alliance with them. This helped MS-13 gang spread its presence into different states. The criminal agencies started to take notice ...