ABSTRACT
The countries of the Northern Triangle of Central America (Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras) have become notorious for the violence of street gangs, particularly Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and Barrio 18 (Eighteenth Street Gang). Gang activity has grown more complex over time, and successive governments – of different ideological persuasions – have responded with a highly punitive strategy, even extrajudicial executions of suspected gang members. This chapter argues that the “gang problem” did not undergo an inevitable transformation but was manufactured through the intersection of three kinds of policies: US foreign policy, particularly “anti-Communist” intervention; US immigration and refugee policy; and Central American gang policy.
The chapter is divided into four substantive parts. The first examines the evolution of MS-13 and Barrio 18 against the backdrop of US involvement in Central American civil wars, forced displacement, and gang development in Los Angeles and – through deportations – in Central America. The second section analyses the political nature of the mano dura gang suppression strategies, the ways in which mainstream media coverage has shaped public opinion on gangs and gang policy, and the effects of the zero-tolerance approach on gangs and violence. The third part discusses the gang truce implemented in El Salvador between 2012 and 2013, particularly the difficulties it encountered, the circumstances of its breakdown, the reasons for its collapse, and its legacy. The fourth section explores the gangs’ current nature and impact, notably the violence attributed to them and their territorial control and institutional influence, as well as forms of gang activism. It also considers the implications for gang policy in Central America. The chapter concludes with some reflections on the need for an analytical focus on the social and political context of gangs, street organisations as symptoms of social problems, and gangs as a form of resistance.
