The Mara Salvatrucha 13 gang was formed by Ernesto Miranda and Julio Cesar in 1980 as a means of defense against Los Angeles street gangs. Today, the Mara Salvatrucha 13 gang is known as the MS-13 gang and is recognized as a growing transnational, organized gang whose territory stretches across the United States and into Central America and is one of the most dangerous gangs in the United States.
The MS-13 gang name originates from the street La Mara in San Salvador and the Salvatrucha guerillas who fought in El Salvador’s Civil War (1981–1992). During the Salvadorian Civil War, children as young as 14 years of age were inducted either into the Salvatrucha guerilla or government forces. Some of the children inducted into the Salvatrucha guerillas went on to establish the MS-13 gang. As of 2017, MS-13 is active in 42 U.S. states as well as El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico.
Membership
When MS-13 was first established, membership was strictly limited to El Salvador, Ecuador, Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemalan citizens. Now, membership is open to all Latinos. Membership in MS-13 gangs is predominately men who range from ages 11 to 40 years. However, two key characteristics of MS-13 gang members are their ethnicity and all must speak Spanish. These two key characteristics help to ensure a sense of protection for the members because it lessens the chances for infiltration by other gangs and law enforcement officers. In some East Coast MS-13 groups, females are permitted membership, but it is not common to see female members within the Los Angeles–based gang.
Unlike other Hispanic gangs, MS-13 members are spread across the entire United States, with the Southeast and Northeast regions seeing the greatest increase in memberships. MS-13 members have found that the best way to increase and maintain membership is through migration. When traveling to other areas or claiming new territory, MS-13 members prefer to openly show their colors (blue and white).
Similar to their desire to migrate, MS-13 gang members are also known for easily adapting to other avenues of criminal activity. Having a short learning curve for new tactics or situations allows the gang to quickly adapt to new conditions, opportunities, or threats.
Initiation, Recruitment, and Rules
To ensure that members are worthy of being an MS-13 gang member, prospective members are required to go through an initiation process. Male prospective members are beaten for a period of 13 seconds by current MS-13 gang members. Prospective female members are either beaten by or have sex with a current MS-13 gang member. Once an individual becomes a member of the MS-13 gang, he or she is required to adhere to the gang’s “code of silence.” Refusal of orders handed out or missing a gang meeting is not allowed unless given permission by that specific MS-13 gang boss. Those caught breaking the MS-13 code of silence or working undercover as an informant for other gangs or law enforcement will be murdered. In the eyes of MS-13 members, membership is for life and the members of that MS-13 gang are an individual’s family.
One method that is commonly used to recruit new MS-13 gang members is recreational activities, such as soccer games. Hosting soccer games provides many benefits to MS-13 gang members as it allows them to seek out prospective members while appearing prosocial around locals. By engaging in “normal” social activities, MS-13 seems less of a threat and more a part of the community, allowing them to use these activities as a cover for their criminal actions.
Organizational Structure
Within the MS-13 gang, structure is crucial; however, the organizational structure differs from region to region. Within each MS-13 gang are various cliques that run independently. Over each of these cliques is the “shot caller,” or the gang boss. The next most important person in the MS-13 gangs are the “runners”—messengers who travel between each clique delivering messages either from one clique to another or from the shot caller or the boss. Typically, the position of shot caller is assumed by a “strong man” and is not a democratic process.
Common Crimes
MS-13 gang members’ criminal activities are split into two groups referred to as primary and secondary crimes. Primary crimes are crimes that generate money, and secondary crimes are crimes that are committed in support of primary crimes. Primary crimes include, but are not limited to, drug trafficking, smuggling of weapons, carjacking, extortion, human trafficking, theft, robbery, and prostitution. As for secondary crimes, MS-13 gang members have been reported to have participated in murder, assaults, and gang rapes. The trademarks of most MS-13 gangs are drug rip-offs and raids on opposing gang members’ houses. All raids conducted by MS-13 gangs are led by an individual who is well trained in paramilitary tactics. These tactics include perimeter lookouts, high-powered weaponry use, and precise room-by-room searches.
Violence
Violence is an expected part of gang life, but MS-13 violent activity is unique due to the manner in which members engage. Within all MS-13 gangs, there is a strict set of rules detailing when a member can kill and how the member can kill a victim. Members are granted permission to kill when the boss or shot caller issues a “green light.” When a member is assigned an assassination, the member is under strict orders to shoot the victim only in the head. If a member is unsuccessful in producing a head shot during the assignment, that individual will be penalized. One trademark of an MS-13 assassination is that the assigned gang member will typically leave a death note on the body of the victim, detailing why the individual was murdered, which serves as a warning to other gangs and government officials.
MS-13 Identification
The MS-13 gang colors are those of the Salvadorian flag: blue and white. Members use the numbers 13, 67, or 76 to identify with their specific gang. The numbers 67 and 76 are sometimes used as code because when added together 6 + 7 equal 13. MS-13 gang members are also notorious for their use of tattoos to communicate their loyalty and their involvement in gang and prison activity. Some of the tattoos that gang members are commonly found sporting include letters, tear drops, bricks, comedy and tragedy masks, crossbones, and daggers. The comedy and tragedy masks represent the message of laugh now, cry later. Three tear drops tattooed on a gang member’s face are meant to show respect to a fallen gang member. Tattoos of bricks represent the number of years an individual served time in prison. Each MS-13 gang across the country has its own meanings behind the tattoos. On the East Coast of the United States, members are known for sticking to Mayan traditions and may tattoo their entire body, including their face. Besides tattoos, MS-13 members are also fond of heart-shaped jewelry and wearing rosaries that are either blue or white. Similar to other gangs, MS-13 gangs are also known to use graffiti to mark turf, spread messages, or to show respect to fallen gang members.
Response to MS-13 Gangs
Some MS-13 gang members are in the United States illegally. Although deportation is used as a means of decreasing illegal immigrants, it may also be used in an effort to decrease membership in gangs, such as MS-13. However, in the case of MS-13, instead of decreasing membership, deportation has actually helped to increase MS-13 gang membership. Consider instances in which gang members of Salvadorian descent are deported back to El Salvador, which is one of the recruiting countries for membership in MS-13. In El Salvador, prison conditions are very poor, and the prison guards are easily corrupted. In addition, youth in El Salvador tend to idolize MS-13 gang members from Los Angeles. Thus, gangs members may see deportation as an opportunity for recruitment, drug or weapon smuggling, and re-connecting with friends and family members. Upon arrival in the home country, such gang members form new cliques of the gang in their home country.
MS-13 Gang Members in Their Home Countries
It has been estimated that as of 2017 there are at least 22,000 MS-13 gang members in El Salvador. One of the most difficult tasks for Salvadorian authorities is identifying MS-13 gang leaders. It is rumored that the gang leader of the El Salvadorian MS-13 gang is in prison and continues to make decisions and distribute orders to other gang members. As the activities of Salvadorian MS-13 gang members become more sophisticated, catching and bringing them in are also proving difficult for authorities.
Crime rates in Guatemala are similar to those in El Salvador. Guatemalan authorities estimate that as of 2017 there are around 3,000 MS-13 gang members and 200 gangs active in Guatemala. Capturing gang members in Guatemala is complicated by its proximity to Mexico, as after committing a crime gang members often flee into Mexico. Guatemalan prisons also may serve as breeding and training grounds for future and current MS-13 gang members.
Honduras has also become a place of refuge for Salvadorian and Guatemalan refugees, as well as a place for forming new MS-13 gangs. In 2017, gang membership in Honduras is estimated to be about 60,000. Some MS-13 gang members have been hired as soldiers to distribute drugs and weapons, perform executions, or provide distractions for law enforcement while gang business is occurring. However, in contrast to other countries where MS-13 is active, Honduras is determinedly fighting back against gang activities. The Honduran president’s son was killed by a MS-13 gang member in 1997, and as a result, Honduras has enacted tougher laws aimed at curtailing gang activity. One example is the length of prison sentence for MS-13 gang members whereby members who have held a leadership position receive 12-year sentences, and other gang members receive 9-year sentences. In response to recently enacted laws, some MS-13 gang members have fled back to El Salvador or to the United States.
In Mexico, unlike other gangs that have tried to compete with Mexican drug manufacturing and trafficking organizations, MS-13 has created an alliance with them. Together, the two gangs create a team whereby the drug trafficking organizations manufacture the drugs and MS-13 gang members ship, distribute, and merchandize the drugs.
MS-13 Allies and Enemies
Similar to other gangs, MS-13 has its own allies and enemies. Some of its allies include SUR 13, LA Gran Familia, Southwest Cholos, Hell Angels, El Chapo, and Los Zetas. The MS-13’s enemies include the Latin Kings, Brown Pride, LA 18, Gangster Disciples, La Raza, and the United Blood Nation.
References:
- Logan, S. (2009). This is for the Mara Salvatrucha: Inside the MS-13, America’s most violent gang. New York, NY: Hyperion.
- Ward, T. (2013). Gangsters without borders: An ethnography of a Salvadoran street gang (Issues of globalization: Case studies in contemporary anthropology). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.