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Abstract

Literature Review

Case Study: MS-13

The Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) is a transnational gang formed in the United States in the 1980s by Salvadorian migrants. This migration was instigated by a 12-year civil war in El Salvador between the government and illegally armed guerillas. Approximately a half million Salvadorians entered the United States, some of them being former guerrilla trainees who had knowledge of weapons, combat tactics, and explosives. The gang has spread around the country where they recruit other refugees from Central and South America living in the United States. The gang is highly organized and involved with high rates of crime. (Johnson and Muhlhausen, 2005).

Salvadorian members from MS-13 were exposed to high levels of violence and abuse during the years of the civil war. This is reflected in their use of machetes. Typically, this weapon is used in agriculture, as Central America is a primarily agricultural economy, and therefore the insurgent groups in Central American used machetes as their weapons. Therefore, members of the MS-13, also use machetes because that is what they saw during the war. (Adams and Pizarro, 2009)

Due to the experience of war and the constant and high levels of violence, especially for the young whom for the majority of their lives were framed by war, the only lifestyle they know is violence. There is the need within this group to adapt to a new culture as well as a need for identity. Consequently, gang membership fulfills this lack of identity and becomes a lifestyle. (Johnson and Muhlhausen, 2005).

Many refugees consider joining gangs as a coping mechanism because they become vulnerable in an asylum country. There are various factors that cause vulnerability: They live in impoverished areas that lack

substantial/legal economic opportunities. Lack of positive role models who contribute to the

community; they are replaced by gang leaders. Refugees are isolated by social entities, such as

schools and social service agencies, due to language and cultural barriers.

Refugees in general experience difficulty adapting to a new language, food, social norms, weather, housing, etc. Youth experience this in a more acute way as they are trying to fit into the new culture.

Involvement with gangs is a way of coping with economic problems and social isolation; a way of adapting to difficult situations.

Many refugees are coming from a violent and criminal background, which generates a higher risk of gang involvement since violence is the only reality they know. (Sivan et. Al, 1999)

Conclusion

A Psychological Approach to Understand Gang Membership Among Refugees

Carolina Rusinque VelasquezLoras College

Hypotheses

H1: Traumatic experiences in refugees’ home countries lead to a higher propensity for gang involvement as well as a higher propensity to commit violent acts.

H2: Refugees experience an identity crisis as they battle to find balance between their native culture and the one they are exposed to when arriving to the asylum country.

Discussion

There are other coping mechanisms used by refugees during their adaptation to the asylum country besides gang membership. Some such mechanisms include: religion and social support group. It has been demonstrated that refugee youth need socializing groups within their host communities in order to decrease the likelihood of them seeking out gang. Therefore, increasing support systems for refugees in the asylum countries would decrease the percentage of youth who joins gangs as a way of coping with their forced migration and starting a new life in a foreign community. Creating youth groups that develop interaction among young refugees with people who have similar backgrounds as well as members from the new community, could be highly beneficial; as resources for teaching the new languages and customs of the new country cannot only prevent gang membership but also enrich cultures and communities.

References

A research study was conducted on refugee children and their families from 14 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, Middle East, and South America, psychological consequences of pre-migration and post-migration on the refugee psyche were assessed.

Refugee youth coming from a violent background are more susceptible to join gangs.

In many occasions gangs have reach such power over the community that they overshadow social institutions such as schools, churches, and organizations that provide social services that help refugees adapt faster to the new community (Sivan, Koch, Bair, & Adiga, M. (1999).

The research found that higher PTSD scores were associated with pre-migration war trauma, specifically when the children experienced the death of family members (Heptinstall, Sethna, & Taylor, 2004).

Therefore, the importance of developing a more rigorous strategy regarding the mental health of the refugees, not only for their well being, but also to avoid the consequences that these traumas cause, in this case the involvement with gangs.

Adams, Jennifer J., and Jesenia M. Pizarro. "MS-13: A Gang Profile." Journal of Gang Research 16.4 (2009).

Johnson, Stephen, and David B. Muhlhausen. "North American Transnational Youth Gangs: Breaking the Chain of Violence." Trends in Organized Crime 9.1 (2005)

Sivan, A. B., Koch, L., Bair, C., & Adiga, M. “Refugee youth at risk: A quest for rational policy. Children's Services: Social Policy, Research, And Practice,” (1999), 139-158.

Heptinstall, E., Sethna, V., & Taylor, E. “PTSD and depression in refugee children. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry,” (2004). 13(6), 373-380.

A MS-13 leader in El Salvador, Carlos Tiberio Ramirez. The gang is believed to have as many as 10,000 members in the US and Central America. Photograph: Reuters

This study focuses on gang membership among refugees coming from El Salvador, and identifies the main reasons behind refugee youth involvement in gangs. The project takes a cultural and psychological approach to this issue. The case study is the Mara Salvatrucha gang or MS-13, a gang that started by Salvadorian immigrants who arrived in the United States and later catalogued as one of the most dangerous transnational gangs.