Some of the best reports about the gang problem in El Salvador:
Here is some background on the gangs according to published reports:
The president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, initiated a rigorous crackdown on gang members in March 2022 following a brutal gang massacre that left 87 people dead.
This crackdown was part of a declared state of emergency, granting emergency powers to security forces to arrest tens of thousands of suspected gang members and collaborators.
The government’s measures were a response to the overwhelming gang violence, specifically aimed at the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and two factions of the 18th Street (Barrio 18) gang, which had long terrorized communities with extortion and murder, according to news reports.
As of the information available, over 64,000 suspects have been arrested in this anti-crime drive.
The arrested individuals were taken to a newly opened “mega-prison,” known as the Terrorism Confinement Center in Tecoluca, which can house up to 40,000 inmates. This facility is part of Bukele’s controversial but popular push against gang-related activities, which has seen a significant increase in El Salvador’s prison population. The “state of exception,” which allows for these arrests, has been extended multiple times, suspending some constitutional rights like the right to a lawyer and making arrests without a warrant.
Critics, including human rights organizations, have raised concerns about the crackdown, pointing to massive human rights violations, including the detention of innocent people and dozens of deaths in police custody.
Despite these concerns, Bukele’s anti-gang measures have retained widespread support among Salvadorans, largely due to the perceived improvement in safety and reduction in gang activity, according to published reports.
The exact duration of imprisonment for the rounded-up gang members under these emergency measures is not clearly defined, as the state of exception has been extended several times, and the legal processes under these conditions differ from standard judicial procedures.
The government’s approach indicates a long-term commitment to holding and processing these individuals under the current system, which is aimed at dismantling gang structures and reducing violence.