El Salvador crackdown could prompt gangs to ‘adapt and reshuffle’
2 years ago

El Salvador crackdown could prompt gangs to ‘adapt and reshuffle’

Al Jazeera  

San Salvador, El Salvador – Residents of Soyapango, a densely populated municipality on the outskirts of San Salvador, woke up on December 3 surrounded by 10,000 police and military forces. El Salvador’s state of exception, in place since March, has suspended key civil liberties and led to the mass incarceration of nearly 60,000 Salvadorans. Bukele has brushed off such criticisms, tweeting on Thursday of the NGOs documenting such abuses: “Their fear is that we are successful, and that other governments will want to imitate us.” Many Salvadorans say they have seen benefits from the state of exception, with 75 percent backing the measure, according to a recent survey by the University Institute of Public Opinion at San Salvador’s Central American University. “If you see a young man standing there, you don’t have to worry that he’s going to rob everything that you have.” His comments reflect the government’s assertion that extortion has dropped by 80 percent since the state of exception was imposed, while Bukele often touts days with zero homicides. “This means that the gangs still have many weapons hidden.” Cruz also questioned the state of exception’s efficacy in tackling gang structures, particularly through the exclusive use of force without measures to address the social factors that fuel gangs.

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History of this topic

El Salvador closes 2024 with a record low number of homicides
1 week, 1 day ago

El Salvador closes 2024 with a record low number of homicides

LA Times  

Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, seen on a November visit to Costa Rica, has governed under a state of emergency for two full years. El Salvador closed 2024 with a record low 114 homicides, continuing notable security gains under a second full year of a state of emergency that has given the government extraordinary powers and curtailed some fundamental rights. President …

Human rights body urges El Salvador to end state of emergency
4 months ago

Human rights body urges El Salvador to end state of emergency

Associated Press  

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights urged El Salvador Wednesday to end the more than two-year state of emergency, which has suspended fundamental civil rights while the government pursued the country’s powerful street gangs. The regional human rights body noted that plunging rates of violence in El Salvador made clear that the state of emergency …

El Salvador President Nayib Bukele says security sustainable without a state of emergency
4 months, 1 week ago

El Salvador President Nayib Bukele says security sustainable without a state of emergency

Associated Press  

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — Nearly 2½ years into a state of emergency that has suspended key civil liberties in El Salvador, President Nayib Bukele says the security advances achieved are sustainable without what was supposed to be a temporary measure. Each month, El Salvador’s congress, which is comfortably controlled by Bukele’s New Ideas party and its allies, approves another …

Several NGOs start a registry of disappeared persons in El Salvador as anti-gang crackdown continues
4 months, 2 weeks ago

Several NGOs start a registry of disappeared persons in El Salvador as anti-gang crackdown continues

Associated Press  

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — Several nongovernmental organizations on Wednesday launched a registry of disappeared persons in El Salvador, a tool meant to help families with relatives who disappeared during the country’s extended state of emergency that was declared to battle street gangs. While the government is accused of committing mass human rights abuses in the crackdown, Bukele remains highly …

More than 60 children detained, beaten, tortured in El Salvador, HRW says
5 months, 3 weeks ago

More than 60 children detained, beaten, tortured in El Salvador, HRW says

Hindustan Times  

By Nelson Renteria More than 60 children detained, beaten, tortured in El Salvador, HRW says SAN SALVADOR, - More than 60 children in El Salvador have been arbitrarily detained, tortured and beaten since the government declared a state of emergency over two years ago to combat gangs, a report by the Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday. Police and soldiers …

Children victimized in El Salvador’s anti-gang crackdown, rights group alleges
5 months, 3 weeks ago

Children victimized in El Salvador’s anti-gang crackdown, rights group alleges

LA Times  

Thousands of poverty-stricken children in El Salvador have suffered arbitrary detention, torture and other abuse as part of President Nayib Bukele’s “war on gangs,” Human Rights Watch said in a report released Tuesday. “Many have been convicted on overly broad charges and in unfair trials that deny due process,” according to the report, which Human Rights Watch says is based …

At least 261 people have died in El Salvador's prisons under anti-gang crackdown, rights group says
5 months, 4 weeks ago

At least 261 people have died in El Salvador's prisons under anti-gang crackdown, rights group says

Hindustan Times  

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — The human rights organization Cristosal said Wednesday that at least 261 people have died in prisons in El Salvador during President Nayib Bukele's 2 1/2-year-old crackdown on street gangs. At least 261 people have died in El Salvador's prisons under anti-gang crackdown, rights group says Under a state of emergency originally declared in 2022 and …

At least 261 people have died in El Salvador’s prisons under anti-gang crackdown, rights group says
5 months, 4 weeks ago

At least 261 people have died in El Salvador’s prisons under anti-gang crackdown, rights group says

Associated Press  

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — The human rights organization Cristosal said Wednesday that at least 261 people have died in prisons in El Salvador during President Nayib Bukele’s 2 1/2-year-old crackdown on street gangs. “People have died in El Salvador’s prisons and jails because of torture, a lack of food, unhealthy conditions, an inhuman lack of attention and cruel, inhuman …

Honduras plans to build a 20,000-capacity ‘megaprison’ for gang members as part of a crackdown
6 months, 3 weeks ago

Honduras plans to build a 20,000-capacity ‘megaprison’ for gang members as part of a crackdown

Associated Press  

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras — The president of Honduras has announced the creation of a new 20,000-capacity “megaprison,” part of the government’s larger crackdown on gang violence and efforts to overhaul its long-troubled prison system. President Xiomara Castro unveiled a series of emergency measures in a nationally televised address early Saturday, including plans to strengthen the military’s role in fighting organized crime, …

Honduras to build 20,000-inmate ‘megaprison’ as part of gang crackdown
6 months, 3 weeks ago

Honduras to build 20,000-inmate ‘megaprison’ as part of gang crackdown

Al Jazeera  

President Xiomara Castro says new measures including ‘terrorist’ designations for gang members are in response to public complaints about rising violence. In a late-night televised address to the nation, President Xiomara Castro said on Friday the “plan of solutions against crime” was in response to a “security emergency” and public complaints about increasing violence. Flanked by members of Honduras’s National …

At least 241 people have died in El Salvador’s prisons during the ‘war on gangs,’ rights group says
9 months ago

At least 241 people have died in El Salvador’s prisons during the ‘war on gangs,’ rights group says

New Indian Express  

SAN SALVADOR: At least 241 people have died in El Salvador prisons since the start of President Nayib Bukele’s “war on gangs” two years ago, according to the organization Humanitarian Legal Relief. In March 2022, Bukele announced a “state of exception,” waiving many constitutional rights to combat the gangs that have terrorized the Central American nation. Since then, El Salvador …

At least 241 people have died in El Salvador’s prisons during the ‘war on gangs,’ rights group says
9 months ago

At least 241 people have died in El Salvador’s prisons during the ‘war on gangs,’ rights group says

Associated Press  

SAN SALVADOR — At least 241 people have died in El Salvador prisons since the start of President Nayib Bukele’s “war on gangs” two years ago, according to the organization Humanitarian Legal Relief. According to the NGO report, “of these deaths, 44% died of violent death, serious torture, 29% due to lack of medical attention.” While the government is accused …

El Salvador extends anti-gang emergency decree for 24th time. It's now been in effect for two years
10 months ago

El Salvador extends anti-gang emergency decree for 24th time. It's now been in effect for two years

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ …

El Salvador extends anti-gang emergency decree for 24th time. It’s now been in effect for two years
10 months ago

El Salvador extends anti-gang emergency decree for 24th time. It’s now been in effect for two years

Associated Press  

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — El Salvador’s lawmakers have granted a request by President Nayib Bukele for the 24th consecutive one-month extension of an anti-gang emergency decree. Bukele has used emergency powers to round up 78,175 suspected gang members in sweeps that rights groups say are often arbitrary, based on a person’s appearance or where they live. El Salvador’s homicide …

El Salvador’s president jailed 1% of the population. Their children are paying the price
10 months, 3 weeks ago

El Salvador’s president jailed 1% of the population. Their children are paying the price

LA Times  

A family member shows a phone photo of Juana Guadalupe Recinos Ventura, who was detained in June 2022 during El Salvador’s crackdown on drugs. “I’m scared, feeling like they could come and they could take away someone else in my family.” Forty thousand children have seen one parent or both detained in President Nayib Bukele’s nearly two-year war on El …

The president jailed 1 per cent of El Salvador''s population. Their children are paying the consequences
11 months ago

The president jailed 1 per cent of El Salvador''s population. Their children are paying the consequences

Hindustan Times  

Santa Ana, Feb 10 Tears welled in Alex's eyes and he pressed his head into his hands as he thought about more than a year of birthdays and holidays without his mother, who was swept up by El Salvador's police as she walked to work in a clothing factory. “I'm scared, feeling like they could come and they could take …

The president seized 1% of El Salvador's population. Their children pay the consequences
11 months ago

The president seized 1% of El Salvador's population. Their children pay the consequences

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “I’m scared, feeling like they …

The state of exception in Honduras is endangering innocent lives
1 year ago

The state of exception in Honduras is endangering innocent lives

Al Jazeera  

When Honduran President Xiomara Castro was elected in November 2021 after running on an anticorruption platform and promising to tackle the country’s disastrous human rights record and sky-high homicide and extortion rates, hopes ran high. In December 2022, less than a year after taking office as Honduras’s first woman president, Castro declared a state of exception covering parts of the …

El Salvador is seeing worst rights abuses since 1980-1992 civil war, Amnesty reports
1 year, 1 month ago

El Salvador is seeing worst rights abuses since 1980-1992 civil war, Amnesty reports

Associated Press  

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — El Salvador is experiencing one of the worst human rights crises since the country’s 1980-1992 civil war, because of President Nayib Bukele ’s harsh anti-gang crackdown, Amnesty International said in a report released Tuesday. The rights group claimed that the almost 74,000 people jailed in the crackdown were subjected to “systematic use of torture and …

Detainees in El Salvador’s gang crackdown cite abuse during months in jail
1 year, 1 month ago

Detainees in El Salvador’s gang crackdown cite abuse during months in jail

Associated Press  

MEXICO CITY — The day he was arrested, Luis was in a government office trying to get a document attesting to his clean criminal history so he could apply for a call center job. Denying it repeatedly was useless, he recalled, because “at that time people didn’t have rights.” That was April 2022, the month after El Salvador President Nayib …

Detainees in El Salvador's gang crackdown cite abuse during months in jail
1 year, 1 month ago

Detainees in El Salvador's gang crackdown cite abuse during months in jail

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Denying it repeatedly was useless, he recalled, because “at …

El Salvador is gradually filling its new mega prison with alleged gang members
1 year, 2 months ago

El Salvador is gradually filling its new mega prison with alleged gang members

Associated Press  

TECOLUCA, El Salvador — With tattoo-covered faces, and wearing white shirts and shorts, gang members captured during El Salvador’s state of exception are gradually filling the country’s new mega prison. President Nayib Bukele ordered its construction when El Salvador began making massive arrests early last year in response to a surge in gang violence. Melvin Alexander Alvarado, a 34-year-old “soldier” …

El Salvador is gradually filling its new mega prison with alleged gang members
1 year, 2 months ago

El Salvador is gradually filling its new mega prison with alleged gang members

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy With tattoo-covered faces, and wearing …

El Salvador sends 4,000 security forces into 3 communities to pursue gang members
1 year, 2 months ago

El Salvador sends 4,000 security forces into 3 communities to pursue gang members

Associated Press  

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — El Salvador sent more than 4,000 security forces into three communities on the outskirts of the capital to root out gang members Wednesday, as President Nayib Bukele prepared to request another extension of emergency powers to combat crime. “We won’t allow small remnants to regroup and take away the peace that has cost so much.” …

El Salvador’s leader, criticized internationally for gang crackdown, tells UN it was the right thing
1 year, 3 months ago

El Salvador’s leader, criticized internationally for gang crackdown, tells UN it was the right thing

Associated Press  

UNITED NATIONS — El Salvador President Nayib Bukele trumpeted the success of his gang crackdown during his speech at the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday, crediting his administration’s will against international criticism over human rights violations. Bukele said that if El Salvador had listened to external critics — including some at the United Nations — the tiny Central American country …

El Salvador's leader, criticized internationally for gang crackdown, tells UN it was the right thing
1 year, 3 months ago

El Salvador's leader, criticized internationally for gang crackdown, tells UN it was the right thing

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy El Salvador President Nayib Bukele …

Could El Salvador’s gang crackdown spread across Latin America?
1 year, 5 months ago

Could El Salvador’s gang crackdown spread across Latin America?

Al Jazeera  

A harsh crackdown on gangs has brought Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele popularity, but experts say the cost is steep. “When massive rights violations become commonplace, it’s very rare for this to result in lasting peace,” said Noah Bullock, executive director of the Salvadoran rights group Cristosal, which has monitored rights violations under the state of exception. “The magnitude of the …

El Salvador sends 8,000 troops, police to rural province in gang crackdown
1 year, 5 months ago

El Salvador sends 8,000 troops, police to rural province in gang crackdown

Al Jazeera  

President Nayib Bukele said 7,000 soldiers and 1,000 police officers have been deployed to Cabanas to hunt down gang members. Thousands of Salvadoran soldiers and police officers on Tuesday surrounded the central agricultural region of Cabanas – home to some 150,000 people – as part of President Nayib Bukele’s crackdown on gang activity. Bukele imposed a state of emergency in …

El Salvador’s Congress votes to allow mass trials in gang crackdown
1 year, 5 months ago

El Salvador’s Congress votes to allow mass trials in gang crackdown

Al Jazeera  

El Salvador’s justice minister says up to 900 alleged gang members could be prosecuted at once under the new law. El Salvador’s Congress has approved group trials for the tens of thousands of people arrested during President Nayib Bukele’s crackdown on criminal gangs, which has given the country one of the world’s highest incarceration rates. Wednesday’s legislation will allow prosecutors …

Honduras copies El Salvador’s playbook in anti-gang crackdown
1 year, 6 months ago

Honduras copies El Salvador’s playbook in anti-gang crackdown

Associated Press  

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras — A crackdown in Honduras on gangs in the nation’s prisons is eerily similar to one carried out last year in neighboring El Salvador by President Nayib Bukele, observers said Tuesday. “It’s the same phenomenon,” said retired police commissioner Henry Osorto, but added that the crackdowns should be scrutinized to see whether “standards and international treaties are being …

Honduras copies El Salvador's playbook in anti-gang crackdown
1 year, 6 months ago

Honduras copies El Salvador's playbook in anti-gang crackdown

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Observers said Tuesday that a …

Investigating El Salvador’s crackdown on gangs
1 year, 6 months ago

Investigating El Salvador’s crackdown on gangs

Al Jazeera  

A crackdown on gangs in El Salvador drops the murder rate in the country by more than 50 percent, but at what price? It has been more than a year since El Salvador declared a state of emergency as part of President Nayib Bukele’s promise to crack down on gangs. But, in the process, the government arrested almost 70,000 people …

El Salvador ex-president sentenced to 14 years over gang talks
1 year, 7 months ago

El Salvador ex-president sentenced to 14 years over gang talks

Al Jazeera  

Mauricio Funes, who currently lives in Nicaragua, denies the charges and says 2012 truce was brokered by the church. A court in El Salvador has sentenced former President Mauricio Funes to 14 years in prison for negotiating with gangs during his administration. Over the past year, several thousand suspected gang members have been rounded up as part of current President …

OAS panel urges El Salvador to restore suspended rights
1 year, 8 months ago

OAS panel urges El Salvador to restore suspended rights

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The Inter American Commission on …

Human rights body urges El Salvador's government to lift year-long suspension of constitutional rights
1 year, 9 months ago

Human rights body urges El Salvador's government to lift year-long suspension of constitutional rights

Firstpost  

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, a branch of the Washington-based Organization of American States, issued a statement urging President Nayib Bukele and his congressional supporters to restore rights suspended under the so-called state of exception San Salvador: On Thursday, a regional human rights group urged El Salvador’s government to lift a year-long suspension of constitutional rights imposed as part …

El Salvador committing ‘systematic’ abuses in gang purge: Amnesty
1 year, 9 months ago

El Salvador committing ‘systematic’ abuses in gang purge: Amnesty

Al Jazeera  

Government has committed abuses such as torture, enforced disappearances in year-long gang crackdown, rights group says. Authorities in El Salvador have committed “systematic” human rights abuses since launching a nationwide state of emergency last year to tackle gang violence, including torture and enforced disappearances, Amnesty International said. The rights group said on Monday that the Salvadoran government’s “state of exception” …

El Salvador marks its first year under anti-gang crackdown
1 year, 9 months ago

El Salvador marks its first year under anti-gang crackdown

Associated Press  

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — The Central American nation of El Salvador marked a full year Monday under anti-gang emergency measures that were originally supposed to last only a month. Recalling last March 27 when the last homicide wave occurred, Bukele wrote in his Twitter account “that was one of the most difficult days of my life.” Referring to police …

El Salvador's congress extends anti-gang crackdown
1 year, 9 months ago

El Salvador's congress extends anti-gang crackdown

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy El Salvador’s congress has voted …

El Salvador extends emergency powers in year-long gang crackdown
1 year, 9 months ago

El Salvador extends emergency powers in year-long gang crackdown

Al Jazeera  

Measures enjoy widespread support, but rights groups say they have led to arbitrary arrests and prison overcrowding. The so-called state of exception, renewed for a 12th time late on Wednesday by the Salvadoran Congress, came into effect last year and has led to around 66,000 arrests in the Central American nation. While the emergency measures enjoy widespread support in El …

El Salvador: 2,000 more to prison, vows will ‘never return’
1 year, 9 months ago

El Salvador: 2,000 more to prison, vows will ‘never return’

Associated Press  

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — El Salvador’s government sent 2,000 more suspects to a huge new prison built especially for gang members Wednesday, and the the justice minister vowed that “they will never return” to the streets. Gustavo Villatoro, the government’s minister for justice and peace, said the suspected gang members would never return to the streets, even though about …

Photos: Inside El Salvador’s new ‘mega prison’ for gang members
1 year, 10 months ago

Photos: Inside El Salvador’s new ‘mega prison’ for gang members

Al Jazeera  

The first 2,000 inmates of a new prison built in El Salvador to accommodate more than 40,000 suspected gang members targeted in President Nayib Bukele’s “war” on crime have arrived at the facility. Bukele tweeted on Friday: “At dawn, in a single operation, we transferred the first 2,000 members to the Center for the Confinement of Terrorism,” which he said …

El Salvador moves 2,000 alleged gang members to new ‘mega-prison’
1 year, 10 months ago

El Salvador moves 2,000 alleged gang members to new ‘mega-prison’

Al Jazeera  

The Salvadoran government has been accused of widespread abuses as it waives civil liberties to combat gang activity. The Central American nation of El Salvador has transferred 2,000 people accused of gang membership to a recently opened “mega-prison”. In a Twitter post on Friday, President Nayib Bukele celebrated the arrival of the alleged gang members at the prison, which has …

El Salvador extends special powers in fight against gangs
1 year, 10 months ago

El Salvador extends special powers in fight against gangs

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy El Salvador’s congress has approved …

El Salvador extends special powers in fight against gangs
1 year, 10 months ago

El Salvador extends special powers in fight against gangs

Associated Press  

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — El Salvador’s congress has approved President Nayib Bukele’s request to extend the period of special powers for another month, meaning the country will go at least a full year with some fundamental rights suspended in fight against gangs. After a surge in gang violence in March 2022, in which 62 people were killed in a …

El Salvador bets safety on incarceration; unveils new prison
1 year, 11 months ago

El Salvador bets safety on incarceration; unveils new prison

Associated Press  

TECOLUCA, El Salvador — When El Salvador began making mass arrests of people with suspected gang affiliations last year, President Nayib Bukele ordered the construction of what would be the largest prison in Latin America. Bukele put it in simple terms in a tweet Thursday: “El Salvador has managed to go from being the world’s most dangerous country, to the …

Rights group: leaked El Salvador data confirm abuses
1 year, 11 months ago

Rights group: leaked El Salvador data confirm abuses

Associated Press  

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — Human Rights Watch says it has obtained a database leaked from El Salvador’s government that corroborates massive due process violations, severe prison overcrowding and deaths in custody under the emergency powers put in place last March to confront a surge in gang violence. El Salvador’s Legislative Assembly approved the suspension of some fundamental rights following …

Rights group: leaked El Salvador data confirm abuses
1 year, 11 months ago

Rights group: leaked El Salvador data confirm abuses

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Human Rights Watch says it …

Leaked El Salvador data confirm abuses, Human Rights Watch says
1 year, 11 months ago

Leaked El Salvador data confirm abuses, Human Rights Watch says

LA Times  

Salvadorans arrested under a state of emergency are delivered by cargo truck to a detention center in Soyapango, El Salvador, on Oct. 7. Human Rights Watch says it has obtained a database leaked from El Salvador’s government that corroborates violations of due process, severe prison overcrowding and deaths in custody under the emergency powers put in place last March to …

El Salvador renews state of emergency as gang crackdown continues
1 year, 11 months ago

El Salvador renews state of emergency as gang crackdown continues

Al Jazeera  

Government says emergency measures have led to drop in murders, but rights groups raise concerns about reported abuses. El Salvador’s legislature has extended a state of emergency for 30 days as President Nayib Bukele’s administration continues a months-long “war” against criminal gangs that has led to the arrests of tens of thousands of people. El Salvador first imposed the emergency …

In El Salvador, a tough anti-gang crackdown proves popular
2 years ago

In El Salvador, a tough anti-gang crackdown proves popular

Associated Press  

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — Nine months into a state of emergency declared by President Nayib Bukele to fight street gangs, El Salvador has seen more than 1,000 documented human rights abuses and about 90 deaths of prisoners in custody. For decades, El Salvador’s main street gangs, Barrio 18 and the MS-13, have extorted money from nearly everyone and taken …

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