Similar But Unique:The “Peculiar” Case
of the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13)
Cheryl Maxson
Department of Criminology, Law
& Society
University of California, Irvine
April 16, 2009
Youth Violence Prevention
Conference, UMSL
Developmental Stages in Contrarian
Research
• “Wait a minute…that doesn’t sound right” (based on
what we know from gang research and theory…)
• “How do they know that?” (I’ll bet a good study
would show something else…)
• BUT, “It might be true, under these special
conditions.”
• “Maybe this one is different” Or “Maybe things
really have changed.”
The MS-13 in LA, DC & San
Salvador (NIJ Study)
• Summarize what is “known” about MS-13
– Scope & nature, including whether there are
transnational networks
– Impact of gang migration and transnat’l. networks on
organizational characteristics, crime patterns
• What are the current programs and policies?
• Recommendations for further research and
practice
Table 1: Type of Affiliated Organization of
Interview Sample
Los Angeles
DC/Metro
San Salvador
Total
People
Agencies
People
Agencies
People
Agencies
People
Agencies
Law Enforcement:
Federal/International
3
2
8
3
3
2
14
7
Law Enforcement:
Local/regional
7
4
2
2
0
0
9
6
Other Governmental
0
0
2
2
8
4
10
6
Non-governmental
Organizations
6
5
8
4
17
10
31
19
Total
16
11
20
11
28
16
64
38
MS-13 states with clique activity =
MS-13 transient activity no established cliques =
MS-13 states with no reported activity =
AK
WA
MT
VT NH ME
ND
OR
MN
ID
SD
WI
WY
NV
NE
CO
AZ
PA
IL
KS
OK
NM
MI
IA
UT
CA
NY
MO
TX
HI
Based on FBI 2007 NTAI
WV VA
NC
SC
MD
DC
TN
AR
MS AL
RI
CT
NJ
DE
IN OH
KY
MA
GA
LA
FL
The Mara Salvatrucha in L. A.
• Began in the early 1980’s
• Prevalence???
• Geographically-based clikas without leaders and
only loosely organized
• Violence levels, undocumented. Currently not
very active
MS in El Salvador
• Deported LA gang members in early 1990’s
• 22,000 members (police estimate)
• More organized, hierarchical leadership, some
direction from prison
• High levels of violence
• Frequent contact with LA MS members, primarily
social
MS in DC-Metro Area
• Present by 1989
• Prevalence?
• Loosely organized, no recognized leaders
• Not very active
Federal Responses to MS-13 &
Gangs (2005 on)
• Dept. of Homeland Security (ICE), Operation
Community Shield
• FBI MS-13 Task Force, later National Gang Task
Force
• FBI National Gang Intelligence Center
• US Attorneys, Project Safe Neighborhood
• ATF Safe Neighborhoods
• N. Virginia Gang Task Force (US DOJ funding)
• FBI Transnational Anti-Gang (TAG) program
• FBI Central American Fingerprint Exploitation
(CAFÉ)