El Salvador Escalates Gang Crackdown With New Measures
With the deployment of thousands of soldiers to rural El Salvador and new legislation permitting the trial of hundreds of…
Honduras Anti-Gang Crackdown Targets Only One Source of Violence
The Honduran government is intensifying its anti-gang crackdown following recent outbursts of criminal violence, but its one-size-fits-all response fails to…
Honduras Makes Few Advances Against Crime During 6-Month State of Exception
The state of exception in Honduras has now been in place for six months. But contrary to government claims and…
Is Nayib Bukele’s ‘Iron Fist’ in El Salvador Working?
After the influential and well-sourced publication El Faro declared that El Salvador’s controversial President Nayib Bukele had “disarticulate(d)” the country’s…
Southern Mexico Extortion Suggests Migration of Central American Gangs
Reports of increasing extortion in southern Mexico suggest crackdowns on gangs in Central America may be pushing gang members to…
The Inescapable Prison of Barrio 18 in Honduras
Entering Barrio 18, the powerful Central American street gang, can seem like a violent rebirth. Members get a new family,…
GameChangers 2022: El Salvador’s Gang Crackdown Has Steep Human Rights Cost
This year, the El Salvador government embarked on possibly the most ruthless gang crackdown ever seen in Central America, taking…
True Cost of El Salvador’s War on Gangs Still Being Tallied
The escalation of El Salvador’s gang crackdown in the central city of Soyapango has raised severe questions as to whether…
Honduras’ State of Exception May Set Worrying Precedent
Honduran President Xiomara Castro declared a state of exception as extortion cases reached uncontrollable levels, raising fears she may be…