You’ve probably seen the photos. Rows of thousands of men, heads shaved, white boxers on, huddling on a concrete floor under the gaze of guards with assault rifles. It's the "megaprison" image that went viral globally. This is the face of the current fight against the ms 13 gang el salvador is living through right now.
But honestly? Most people have the history totally backward. They think MS-13 is a local Salvadoran gang that "exported" itself to the U.S. like a coffee shipment.
It’s actually the opposite.
The L.A. Connection
The Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) started in the 1980s on the streets of Los Angeles, not San Salvador. It was founded by refugees fleeing El Salvador’s brutal civil war. They were just kids, really. They were looking for protection from established Mexican and African-American gangs in the Pico-Union neighborhood.
The name itself is a mouthful of slang. Mara means gang, Salva is short for Salvadoran, and trucha is a street word for being "alert" or "sharp." The number 13 was added later to show respect to the Mexican Mafia (La Eme), the powerful prison gang that calls the shots for most Latino gangs in Southern California.
Everything changed in the mid-90s. The U.S. started mass-deporting people with criminal records back to El Salvador.
Imagine thousands of gang-hardened guys, many of whom barely spoke Spanish, being dumped into a country they hadn't seen in a decade. A country with no police force to speak of and a broken economy. It was like pouring gasoline on a flickering candle. The ms 13 gang el salvador became a monster almost overnight because the state wasn't ready to stop it.
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Why MS-13 isn't like a Cartel
There is a big misconception that MS-13 is basically a drug cartel. It isn't.
Cartels are businesses. They want to move product from point A to point B with as little noise as possible to keep the money flowing. MS-13 is different. Historically, they’ve been "terrible" at high-level business, according to experts like those at the Carnegie Endowment. They are more like a social cult that uses violence to control territory.
Instead of selling tons of cocaine to Europe, they mostly make their money through la renta—extortion.
They’d charge the guy selling pupusas on the corner. They’d charge the bus driver. They’d charge the grandmother living in a house they liked. It was petty, brutal, and it touched every single person in the country. By 2015, El Salvador was basically the murder capital of the world, and it was mostly because of the war between MS-13 and their rivals, the 18th Street gang (Barrio 18).
The Bukele Era: Did the Gang Disappear?
Enter Nayib Bukele. Since March 2022, he has been running a "state of exception" that basically threw the rulebook out the window.
As of early 2026, the numbers are staggering. Over 90,000 people have been arrested. That is nearly 2% of the entire adult population of the country. If you have a gang tattoo or someone whispers your name to a cop, you're going to the CECOT (the Terrorism Confinement Center).
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Is it working?
Well, if you walk through the streets of San Salvador today, people will tell you it feels like a different planet. You can walk through neighborhoods that used to be "no-go zones." You don't have to pay the "rent" anymore. The homicide rate has cratered to levels that make El Salvador look safer than parts of the U.S.
But there is a catch. Or a few of them.
Human rights groups like Amnesty International and local journalists from El Faro have documented a lot of dark stuff. They say thousands of innocent people—kids, workers, students—have been swept up in the dragnet with zero evidence. Once you're in, you're in. There are reports of torture and deaths in custody.
There's also the "secret deal" theory. The U.S. Treasury Department actually sanctioned Bukele’s officials back in 2021, claiming they made a deal with the ms 13 gang el salvador leadership to lower the murder rate in exchange for prison perks. Bukele denies this, but critics say the gang hasn't been "destroyed"—it's just been suppressed or moved underground.
What Most People Get Wrong
- They are all tatted up: Used to be true. Now? If you have an MS-13 tattoo in El Salvador, you’re basically asking for a life sentence. New recruits aren't getting tattoos anymore. They’re "civilians" by day, gang members by night.
- It’s a centralized army: Not really. MS-13 is made of clicas (cliques). While they have a national council (the Ranfla Nacional), the local guys often do their own thing.
- It’s only a Salvadoran problem: MS-13 is still very much a transnational threat. They have a presence in Italy, Spain, and throughout the U.S. east coast.
Why the Future is Uncertain
We are currently in a "wait and see" period. You can't keep a country in a state of emergency forever. Or can you?
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The gangs have been pushed into the mountains or deep into the prison system, but the "social drivers"—poverty, lack of education, broken families—are still there. If the government ever lets its foot off the gas, many fear the ms 13 gang el salvador will simply re-emerge like a dormant virus.
Recently, in December 2025, we saw massive mass-sentencings. One guy, Marvin Abel Hernandez Palacios, was sentenced to over 1,300 years in prison. It's a clear message: you aren't coming out.
Actionable Insights for Travelers or Observers
If you're following the situation or planning to visit El Salvador, here's the reality:
- Safety is high but fragile: The country is the safest it has been in decades for tourists. You can visit places like El Tunco or Santa Ana without much fear.
- Avoid the "Gang Aesthetic": This sounds silly, but don't wear clothes or use hand signs that could even remotely be interpreted as gang-affiliated. The police are on a hair-trigger.
- Support Local, Not Fear: The best way to keep the gangs away for good is a strong economy. Spending money at local businesses helps provide the jobs that keep kids from joining gangs in the first place.
- Watch the Elections: Keep an eye on the political climate. The current security model is tied directly to Bukele’s personal power. If that shifts, the security landscape could change in a weekend.
The story of the ms 13 gang el salvador is a tragedy of two halves: a gang born of war and deportation, and a government response that has traded civil liberties for the first taste of peace the country has had in a generation.
To stay informed, you should track the monthly renewals of the state of exception in El Salvador's Legislative Assembly and follow reports from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights for the most up-to-date status on the ground.