El Salvadors Gang Crackdowns
El Salvador has been with a problem for years: the numerous amounts of violent gangs that roamed the country. No attempt in these controls has led to long term safety among the country, but after there had 87 homicides in 3 days in March of 2022, the government knew that they had to get these gang members under control. Following the numerous homicides in march of 2022, the government has declared a state of emergency, which essentially suspends constitutional rights among the country and gives authorities the right to begin mass arresting suspected gang members. This state of emergency has now been extended 34 times as of January 5th of this year.
As of right now, over 83,900 alleged gang members have been arrested in El Salvador. This has led to the overcrowding of prisons and making El Salvador the country with the highest incarceration rate. Though many concerns have been raised about the human rights, the cracdowns have remained popular among citizens of El Salvador, and it has even led to the development of similar policies in other Latin American Countries.
Background of Crime In El Salvador
For over a few decades now, gang violence in El Salvador had been dominated by 2 large criminal organizations– Ms -13 and Barrio 18. These two gangs originated in the united states,
but had spread to El Salvador following the mass deportations in the 90’s.Both gangs had engaged in extremely violent crimes like murder, extortion, druck trafficking, and much more. By 2016, these gangs were in almost every municipality in El Salvador, and controlled neighborhoods, business, and residents. This led to one of the highest homicide rates in the world, with 103 murders for every 100,000 people. In 2016, the US Supreme court declared these two gangs as terrorist organizations
March 2022 Homicide Surge
Between March 25th and 27th, 87 civilians had been murdered in El Salvador, with 62 murders in just one day. The government had blamed the criminal organization MS-13 for these mass homicides, and believed that it was in retaliation to the government.
Following this mass homicide, the legislative assembly of El Salvador approved of a nation-wide state of emergency which suspended legal rights, extended pre-trial detention, and allowed for warrantless surveillance.
Security forces have set up checkpoints, searching for civilians with gang tattoos. Within the first month, over 17,000 people were detained–some of them being as young as 12 years old. As more gang members got arrested, prison conditions worsened with inmates receiving fewer meals and being subject to harsher treatment. Due to Prisons being overcrowded aswell, the president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, announced the construction of a mega-prison that will have a capacity for over 40,000 inmates.
Public and International Reactions
The crackdown has been supported by over 91% of El Salvadorans. Citizens state that they feel safer and have more freedoms, as gang control has weakened. However, the 9% that are not in support are concerned that many people have been unjustly arrested.
Many experts note that though Bukele has gotten gangs out of the streets, he had not been attacking the root of the problem: lack of education and poverty. Shortly after, Bukele introduced initiatives which were to improve education and created urban centers to provide safe spaces for the youth.
The crackdowns that began in El Salvador have led to similar policies across Latin America in countries like Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia.
Works Cited
Alpeyrie, Jonathan (10 August 2023). “The War on Drugs in El Salvador: A Success Story?”. Geopolitical Monitor.
Herrera, Yelter (4 October 2024). “Gustavo Villatoro: Pandilleros Tienen Derechos Humanos, Pero Están Reducidos” [Gustavo Villatoro: Gang Members Have Human Rights, But They Are Reduced]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 October 2024.
Chavez Rodriguez, Yovani E. (2024). “Bukele’s Formula for Terrorism”. Journal of Strategic Security. 17 (1). University of South Florida Global and National Strategic Security Institute: 76–99.
Nagovitch, Paola (13 February 2020). “Explainer: Nayib Bukele’s Territorial Control Plan”. Americas Society. Archived from the original on 23 August 2022. Retrieved 22 August 2022.