Throughout the 20th century the United States has embedded itself in the political matters

of several Latin and Central American countries. El Salvador, specifically suffered from

American intervention during their civil war from 1981 to 1992. The Junta and FMLN were the

two groups that were fighting for political power. During the time of El Salvador’s Civil War the

United States found itself financially backing the Juntas. The Juntas were a guerilla group who

were rivaling the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN). FMLN can be described

as the umbrella term for the various Marxist guerilla groups. The United States pushed the idea

that the Soviet Union was backing FMLN with military and financial support. This allowed for

the conflict in El Salvador to be perceived as a communist threat, gathering public support for a

form of intervention. In doing so, “the US directly sponsored highly authoritarian and abusive

regimes on a pretext which was unsustainable, given the evidence. United States support had

terrible human rights consequences for El Salvador’s civilian population that last to this day”.1 It

was estimated that 80,000 people were killed during the civil war. A large portion of El

Salvadorians fled and sought refuge in the United States. “Of the estimated 701,000 Salvadoran

immigrants, a substantial number sought sanctuary in southern California. Characterized by

illegal status in the United States, a majority of the Salvadoran newcomers remained in poverty,

constantly fearing arrest and deportation”.2 “Up to one fifth of the Salvadoran population was

uprooted”.3 This large population of Salvadoran refugees that entered the United States were

1
Stokes, “Countering the Soviet Threat? An Analysis of the Justifications for US Military Assistance to El Salvador,
1979-92.”
2
“The United States-El Salvador Extradition Treaty: A Dated Obstacle in the Transnational War Against Mara
Salvatrucha (MS-13).”
3
Bazan, Harris, and Lorentzen, “Migrant Gangs, Religion and Tattoo Removal.”
faced with poverty and violence from homegrown Los Angeles gangs. In order to protect from

the violence and discrimination among the Salvadoran population the young immigrants created

the gang known as, Mara Salvatruhca.

The attraction of gangs stems from a multitude of factors. A research review by

Washington State University provided several reasons for the desire to join a gang. It was

identified that a search for love, structure, and disciple, a sense of belonging, a desire for

companionship, and underdeveloped social solving skills were just some of the reasons for gang

contribution.4 In the case of the MS-13 gang this research can be found overwhelmingly

accurate. Poverty, force of removal for homes, and violence perpetrated by other local gangs

created a need for power and authority. The tragedy and loss experienced by the Salvadoran

people, especially by the youth, heavily influenced an interest in criminal behavior. “Salvadoran

youth complained of being victimized by the established gangs in Los Angeles”.5 The

displacement and yearn for a sense of community sparked the formation of MS-13. “The Mara

Salvatrucha gang was armed with machetes, guns, and guerilla combat training form the civil

war. In the 1990’s MS-13 became one of the deadliest gangs in Los Angeles”.6

One of the article’s I researched took an in depth look into the life of a teenage boy

named Henry. Henry, was a 17-year-old boy from El Salvador.7 Due to the lack of options

available in his country, Henry joined MS-13. His desire to leave this gang can be identified in

4
Cohn, “Juvenile Focus.”
5
Stokes, “Countering the Soviet Threat? An Analysis of the Justifications for US Military Assistance to El Salvador,
1979-92.”
6
“The United States-El Salvador Extradition Treaty: A Dated Obstacle in the Transnational War Against Mara
Salvatrucha (MS-13).”
7
DREIER, Surana, and Gabrielson, “THE BETRAYAL OF TRISTE.”
his move to Long Island, NY. In spite of trying to start a new life Henry failed when a member

from MS-13 recognized him. Trapped once again in a life of misery and violence, Henry made

the decision to work with officers to try and safely remove himself from the gang.

Henry, is just one of the many MS-13 members seeking to cut ties from his gang to begin

a new life. This process may be difficult at times because of the permanent symbolism

representing gang affiliation. “Gangs can locate themselves by this street, that corner, that park,

and so forth. In this sense, as Vasquez writes, gangs allow young Salvadorans to respond to

dislocation and multiple marginalities by reasserting territory. Significant for our study is that

this marking of territory becomes present on the body”.8 MS-13 is ultra-violent, fearless of law

enforcement with direct links to the El Salvadorian military. These contacts provide automatic

weapons, hand grenades, etc. Since they are Hispanic, they have members in California and

other prison systems they claim Sureño. Their graffiti and tattoos are symbolic of their allegiance

and name. They commonly graffiti and tattoo "MS13," "XIII," "Sur 13" and Sureño 13.9 Tattoos

allow for the nonverbal recognition of a gang. The Mara Salvatrucha gang specifically,

communicates their gang affiliation by the bolded letters of MS-13, which can be present on a

member’s back, chest, or face. These tattoos symbolize unity among all members of the gang.

MS-13 is unique from most gangs because it is considered to be a transnational gang.

Transnationalism is the state of existing across several nations rather than within one single

nation.10 MS-13 members are spread throughout North and Central America. “There are over

8
Bazan, Harris, and Lorentzen, “Migrant Gangs, Religion and Tattoo Removal.”
9
Dowe, “Identifying the Criminal Street Gang Part 2.”
10
McPherson, Intimate Ties, Bitter Struggles : The United States and Latin America Since 1945.
60,000 MS-13 members located in ten different nations, across two continents”.11 Mara

Salvatrucha members in the United States have flooded from the west coast to all across the US.

“The 2009 National Gang Threat Assessment, acknowledged MS-13 as one of the largest

Hispanic street gangs in the United States. Drugs and weapons trafficking, prostitution

operations, alien smuggling, assaults, drive-by shootings, and murders are among the list of

criminal activities attributed to MS-13”.12 The United States holds the policy of deploying any

member of MS-13 who have committed a crime and illegally came to the United States. The

deportation process has shown little success from actually keeping crime down, or keeping

deportees from returning.

El Salvador can be portrayed as an incubator for MS-13 gang activity. A country now

overrun by gangs and violence is enduring the consequences of failed American intervention.

The growth of MS-13 in El Salvador derives from the lack of economic opportunity available in

the country. Deported members of MS-13 in some cases are not fluent in Spanish making it

difficult to find work, or even a place to live. This creates more of a reason for Mara Salvatrucha

members to remain as a unit in El Salvador. El Salvador and the US have established an

agreement in which identifies and tracks suspected gang members, then sends reported

information to the FBI. The FBI then sends the information obtained to various agencies in

Central America.13 Policies created by El Salvador and the United States to counter MS-13 and

11
“The United States-El Salvador Extradition Treaty: A Dated Obstacle in the Transnational War Against Mara
Salvatrucha (MS-13).”
12
“The United States-El Salvador Extradition Treaty: A Dated Obstacle in the Transnational War Against Mara
Salvatrucha (MS-13).”
13
“The United States-El Salvador Extradition Treaty: A Dated Obstacle in the Transnational War Against Mara
Salvatrucha (MS-13).”
 their transnational progression is essential to providing peace and security across North and

South America.

The Mara Salvatrucha 13 originated from the atrocities Salvadorans faced during its

twelve-year civil war. It can be recognized as an indirect consequence of American policy to

financially back a guerilla group that provided even more instability to El Salvador. Today MS-

13 is known for being a vicious transnational gang marked with its symbolic MS-13 tattoo.

Bibliography

Bazan, Luis Enrique, Liliana Harris, and Lois Ann Lorentzen. 2002. “Migrant Gangs, Religion and
Tattoo Removal.” Peace Review 14 (4): 379–83.
Cohn, Alvin W. 1997. “Juvenile Focus.” Federal Probation 61 (4): 86.
Dowe, Darin. 2011. “Identifying the Criminal Street Gang Part 2.” Law & Order 59 (10): 88–91.
DREIER, HANNAH, Kavitha Surana, and Ryan Gabrielson. 2018. “THE BETRAYAL OF TRISTE.”
New York 51 (7): 32–90.
McPherson, Alan L. 2006. Intimate Ties, Bitter Struggles : The United States and Latin America
Since 1945. Vol. 1st ed. Issues in the History of American Foreign Relations. Washington, D.C.:
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tattoos-mara-salvatrucha-tattoos.html.
Stokes, Doug. 2003. “Countering the Soviet Threat? An Analysis of the Justifications for US Military
Assistance to El Salvador, 1979-92.” Cold War History 3 (3): 79–102.
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