The Salvadorian Willie Horton Explained: MS-13, Crimmigration, and the Translation of Gang Intelligence

• In Event: Crimmigration and the New Era of Enforcement

Abstract

In 2012, the United States Treasury Department designated the Latin American gang Mara Salvatrucha, known as MS-13, as a transnational criminal organization with cliques and members throughout the continental United States. The criminal activities of MS-13 have contributed to political rhetoric associating undocumented status with criminality and dangerousness, despite empirical evidence that undocumented residents are generally less likely to commit a crime compared to their documented counterparts. This paper draws from a federally-funded study on the transnational capacity of MS-13 in the U.S. and El Salvador and specifically examines the mechanisms by which the label of MS-13 has been over-extended in political discourse, contributing to an association between undocumented Latino males and dangerousness. This MS-13 label is both conceptual and technical; the former representing imagery and framing, and the latter representing specific law enforcement practices of identifying MS-13 members and gang-related activities. Contributions include providing a conceptual and empirical bridge connecting crimmigration scholarship, the organizational structure of MS-13, criminal justice measurement practices, and the intersection of race and crime in political discourse.

Authors

• Kenneth Sebastian Leon, Rutgers University

• Maya Barak, University of Michigan - Dearborn

• Edward R. Maguire, Arizona State University