Origin

The country of El Salvador has been embroiled in a violent civil war that has ensued for a number of years. In the early 1980’s the peasant majority of the country, alleging decades of abuse and intolerance, revolted against the Salvadoran government. As a result many people were killed and more than one million Salvadorans fled the war torn country, migrating to the United States. Both illegal and legal Salvadoran refugees began to settle in southern California and Washington D.C. Many of these immigrants were affiliated with El Salvador’s original violent street gang, La Mara, which originated in El Salvador in the 1950’s. Also, other immigrants were former members of Farabundo Marti Nacional Liberation Front (FMNL), which consisted of peasant guerrilla units trained in firearm and explosive usage as well as booby trap techniques. Since these immigrants experienced cultural differences and hatred toward other American street gangs, they responded by indulging in extreme violence against these gangs. They eventually became known in the US as Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), which means “Forever Salvador.” The “13” signifies “M,” the 13th letter of the alphabet. They also sometimes use “X3,” with the “X” signifying the roman numeral for “10.” Today, the gang still operates in their original destination, California and Washington D.C., as well as many other states including Alaska, Oregon, Utah, Nevada, Illinois, Texas, Oklahoma, Georgia, Maryland, Florida and New York. In the US, MS-13 members have taken aggressive action to avoid arrest since convicted MS-13 gang members who are deported back to El Salvador from the US face severe penalties administered by the Salvadoran judicial system.

History in NYC

Mara Salvatrucha exists in the city, predominantly in Queens, and in minute numbers in Brooklyn South and Manhattan, and also in Nassau and Suffolk counties. Most members are of Salvadoran descent, however, they have also been accepting members from Ecuador and Guatemala. Gang members are usually employed in landscaping and construction jobs. Gang activity is mostly seen in high schools, and also in establishments that have video games, such as candy stores and laundromats.