MS-13 Recruiting Illegal Alien Children

(Source)

From Judicial Watch (h/t Weasel Zippers):

JW has reported extensively on the crisis created by the sudden influx of mostly Central American minors that have crossed into the U.S. through the Mexican border in recent weeks. It has created havoc and will end up costing American taxpayers billions of dollars to house, process, medically treat, feed and inevitably educate the Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC) which are being dispersed throughout the country. They are bringing in dangerous diseases—including swine flu, dengue fever, Ebola virus and tuberculosis— and occupying our military bases as shelters. 

As if all this weren’t bad enough, the invasion is also supplying the nation’s most dangerous street gangs with new soldiers. The Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and the 18th Street gangs are on a recruiting frenzy at the various facilities housing the newly arrived illegal aliens, according to JW’s source. The MS-13 is a feared street gang of mostly Central American illegal immigrants that’s spread throughout the U.S. and is renowned for drug distribution, murder, rape, robbery, home invasions, kidnappings, vandalism and other violent crimes. The Justice Department’s National Gang Intelligence Center (NGIC) says criminal street gangs like the MS-13 are responsible for the majority of violent crimes in the U.S. and are the primary distributors of most illicit drugs.

And this article indicates:

 Agents in the Nogales Center have questioned sixteen MS-13 gang members who are sheltered in the facility. The under-18 criminals admitted they have engaged in torture and murder in their home country and tried to recruit young people in the shelter. 

These youthful gang members were discovered after they put MS-13 graffiti on the wall. Many MS-13 gang members are under 18 years, recruitment begins in Junior High and High School. 

Other youth with gang tattoos have been released under direct orders of the administration.

An April 2013 Fusion.net article links to a report from the International Assessment and Strategy Center (IASC) noting that in October 2012, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control designated the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) a significant transnational criminal organization (TCO). The Fusion article goes on to state:

In the U.S., it reportedly has a presence in more than 300 cities spanning upward of 40 states, and it is actively expanding to South America and Europe. The IASC report also noted that, as part of a new recruitment effort, the gang is accepting non-Salvadoran and non-Latino members for the first time in its history. 

One way the gang spreads is by having members deliberately seek deportation to countries where MS-13 plans to start new operation centers.

... According to the IASC report, MS-13 is closely working with Los Zetas on human trafficking across Central America. The gang has a complex coyote network that can reportedly move individuals from Mexico's Northern Triangle to the U.S. in less than 72 hours, and Los Zetas are using it to the mutual benefit of both groups. 

At the same time, MS-13 is currently escalating its weapons and drug trafficking. The gang's arms caches now include high-powered weapons like RPGs and surface to air missiles, some of which are apparently being sold to terrorist organizations such as Colombia's FARC, according to the report. Meanwhile, the group appears to be expanding its role in the cocaine trade, as suggested by the dramatic increase in arrests of MS-13 drug lords in the past few years.

 The article further observes that MS-13 has been strengthening its ties with the Los Zetas cartel, including receiving training (the Los Zetas cartel was originally formed by ex-Mexican military). Moreover, they are becoming more politically complex:

Over the years, the language used in statements issued by the imprisoned heads of MS-13 has become more complex and politically sophisticated, according to the IASC study. Nowadays their declarations are peppered with claims that echo the main beliefs of liberation theology, the Latin American school of thought that puts a leftist bent on the Scriptures. 

MS-13 and other Salvadoran gangs are now issuing demands similar to those made by groups like Colombia's FARC, and in doing so are assuming a role that didn't exist in El Salvador a few years ago – that of freedom fighters for the poor. "The gangs are increasingly becoming aware of their potential political power, based on territorial control and the ability to deliver large amounts of votes to a preferred candidate," the IASC report concludes.

(More on Liberation Theology here).This New York Post article from March this year also suggests that MS-13, or at least certain local gangs, are developing political ambitions. It indicates:

The ultraviolent Mara Salvatrucha street gang, a k a MS-13 — whose 10,000 members sow murder and mayhem in dozens of American cities — has been secretly backing El Salvador’s ruling party for several years, according to evidence that has emerged in recent weeks. 

President Mauricio Funes has admitted to personally approving payoffs, prostitutes and other privileges for gang kingpins in exchange for their political support. If Funes’ FMLN party, which originated as a guerrilla movement in the 1980s, wins the March 9 presidential election, El Salvador may become a haven for gangs and narco-traffickers, with dire consequences for the United States.

A paper at the Small Wars Journal includes MS-13 among "third-generation gangs" or "maras" having evolved political aims.  That is, "[t]hey operate—or seek to operate—at the global end of the spectrum, using their sophistication to garner power, aid financial acquisition and engage in mercenary-type activities. To date, most third generation (3 GEN) gangs have been primarily mercenary in orientation; yet, in some cases they have sought to further their own political and social objectives."

This Examiner article from February 1, 2010, has some interesting statistics on gangs and immigration:

-In 1995, a California Department of Justice study concluded that the 18th Street Gang works directly with the Mexican Mafia, and commits a robbery or an assault every day in Los Angeles alone.
-Two-thirds of fugitive felony warrants issued in Los Angeles are for illegal aliens.
-95 percent of warrants issued for murder in L.A. are for illegal aliens.
-83 percent of warrants issued for murder in Phoenix, AZ are for illegal aliens.
-86 percent of warrants issued for murder in Albuquerque, NM are for illegal aliens.
-53 percent of burglaries in Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, California, and Texas are committed by illegal aliens.
-According to police, there are at least 53,000 Latino gang members in Los Angeles (that is the equivalent of three Airborne divisions).
-Mexican drug cartels produce 80 percent of the methamphetamine sold on U.S. streets.
-In 2007 alone, U.S. Customs agents confiscated over 2,000 lbs of methamphetamine at the six official border crossing stations in California.

 Gang members use various means to identify themselves:

MS-13 members identify themselves through various gang indicators such as tattoos, clothing, graffiti, and hand signs. MS-13 members are known to use various tattoos, some of which are large enough to cover the entire back; others are small enough to fit in the web of a hang. The size of the tattoo is sometimes an indication of the degree of gang involvement with older or more active members wearing the larger more prominent tattoos. Gang members directly from El Salvador generally have more prominent tattoos than those who become members in the United States.  

MS-13 members may represent the number “13” using Arabic numerals, Roman numerals, or a combination of the two. “MSXIII” is also often used. Members may attempt to disguise the MS-13 tattoo within another one.  

Gang members may carry or wear a blue or black bandana around the wrist, neck, or forehead. They often wear sports clothing that displays strategic numbers like 13, 23, or 3. They also wear jerseys that show the gang colors of blue or black. Some of their favorite jerseys are those of Allen Iverson (Blue 3) and Kurt Warner (Blue 13). Members also wear Nike Air Jordan hats with the Air Jordan logo resembling their hand sign. New York Yankees apparel is also a favorite of members. (It is important to understand that many young people wear these colors and sport clothing and these indicators alone should not be viewed as evidence of gang membership.)  

Graffiti is used by MS-13 to mark territory or to promote its image, particularly in a new area. This graffiti can be elaborate or just a scrawl to publicize their presence. Members may scrawl “MS,” “Mara Salvatrucha,” “MS-13,” or “MSXIII,” or they may tag their clique’s initials.  

MS-13 members use several different hand signs, including devil’s horns or gang’s initials. Other hand signs are used to communicate silently with one another. MS gang members often use the Spanish word sureno, meaning “southerner” to identify themselves. Sometimes sureno is abbreviated to SUR.

Preparedness Pro also has an article concerning MS-13.