Carola09

The main purpose of this investigation is to give information about the influence and impact of deportees from the United States to El Salvador with a special emphasis on their involvement in Salvadorian gangs. Immigration plays a very important role in the formation of these gangs in El Salvador. That's why it is relevant to look closer to the immigration factor of this problem in the Salvadorian society. There are several scholars who have studied this topic in a more extensive format and also there have been several movements to aware people of this issue. However, things haven't change for those immigrants who are deported to El Salvador.

The main problem that the deportations of people (mainly men) from the United States to El Salvador begins with the fact that many of these men don't even know El Salvador as others may supposed, some of them haven't even being there since they were born. This causes a lot of problem because they are not familiar with the Salvadorian culture and its tradition, so they don't feel part of the society. Adding more to that is the fact that the Salvadorian society doesn't accept deportees as part of the society because they are seen as bad influence and as gang members even though they may have not been part of any gang.

Gangs members faced discrimination not only once they are deported to El Salvador but since they are in the United States. An example of this is the case of the zero tolerance gang abatement unit in 

the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD)’s Rampart division called CRASH (Community Resources against Street Hoodlums). This unit was accused of harrasing gang members by beating gang members. “The officers were also accused of wounding and killing unarmed gang members and planting guns and drugs on their victims. ” (Zilberg, 760) This was happening in Los Angeles, California, United States where things like this are not supposed to happen because it is an “equal rights” society where the rights of others are respected, “supposedly”. Elana Zilberg wrote an article titled “Fools Banished from the Kingdom: Remapping Geographies of Gang Violence between the Americas (Los Angeles and San Salvador)” in which she describes the situation of those immigrants who are deported from the United States to El Salvador. In this article the author makes more emphasis on events and discriminations happening in San Salvador, El Salvador. Moreover, in the article it is also discuss the issue that deportees are not only discriminated by the society but also by official gang members of El Salvador.

The two most prevalent and recognizable gangs in El Salvador are Mara Salvatrucha (MS 13) and 18th Street. Both of them were originated in Los Angeles, California. Here is where the relationship between El Salvador and Los Angeles lays down. The association of gang members with Salvadorians is so comon due to this link between San Salvador and Los Angeles. 

In countries like El Salvador the police death squads use as an excuse the war against gangs as a way to commit discrimination and harassment against people who look like gang members but are not. War on Gangs is actually a program that was developed in Central America and Mexico to fight gang members. After years of being introduce in those countries, the United States decided to implemented it into their system. According to Prof. Alfonso Gonzales in his article Rethinking U.S. Involvement in Central America's War on Gangs: The Case of El Salvador, “ The War on Gangs is enforced by the Department of Homeland Security \s (DHS) Immigration and Customs Service (ICE) in which DHS/ICE commandos conduct raids on the homes of suspected non-citizen gang members for deportation.”

Recently on April 7 , 2010 John Jay College's Professors in conjunction with other activists and organizations from Los Angeles and New York organized a conference to discuss the issue of gang members persecutions and not only gang members nut also immigrants in general; immigrants that are targeted as gang members and in some cases even as terrorists. During this conference the panel was composed by a John Jay College professor who is also an activist, the director of an organization that has a program in which they remove tattoos to ex-gang members who are trying to rebuild their lives, among the panelists there was also an immigrant who is also an activist who was giving his testimony of what happened to him a couple of years ago when he got arrested for being considered a terrorist.

In this conference was also discussed the case of Alex Sanchez who is currently fighting case with the FBI because he is being treated like a formal gang member even though he is not a gang member anymore. He used to be a gang member but since a couple of years ago he is an ex-gang member and co-founder and executive director of Hommies Unidos which is a foundation that helps ex-gang members to re-establish their lives and keep them out of the gangs.

Hommies Unidos describe their history and mission in their website (http://homiesunidos.org/about/history/) in the following way:

On November 2, 1996 a group of youth from different neighborhoods came together in San Salvador, El Salvador to discuss methods and means of diminishing the violence that plagues too many of our lives and communities. Out of this meeting the unique organization, Homies Unidos was born. We reach out to youth in both the U.S. and Latin America, providing hope and opportunities. Our programs in El Salvador include deportee assistance, education, job training, and community outreach. Homies Unidos began our Los Angeles work in 1997. Our local office is comprised primarily of Central American and other Latino youth who have renounced the violence in their lives. Working in the Koreatown and Pico-Union areas, our members have dedicated their lives to creating alternatives to crime, drugs, and violence. MISSION: Homies Unidos works to provide the inherent right of youth, families and their communities to pursue their dreams and achieve their full potential in a just, safe and healthy society. For more than ten years, Homies Unidos has been a catalyst for change, working to end violence and promote peace in our communities through gang prevention, the promotion of human rights in immigrant communities, and the empowerment of youth through positive alternatives to gang involvement and destructive behavior. We are living proof that prevention works and that peace is possible.

Alex Sanchez came to the United States in the 1970's when his family migrated to Los Angeles due to the bad situation that the country was experiencing during that time. It was almost the same situation that many immigrants who migrated from their countries of origin had during that period of time. As many of the young male immigrants did, Alex joined a gang and got tattoos around his body to identify himself as a member. This made him an easy target to the police.

Salvadorian gangs and deportees from Los Angeles, California to San Salvador, El Salvador are the biggest link that these two cities have between them. It is not only an issue that pertains to the society in El Salvador but also to the authorities in the United States. Before sending people to El Salvador authorities should take into consideration factors that they are not paying attention at this moment. Some of these factors are the things that happen to those who are deported to El Salvador. These people faced situations that are not humane and go against the human rights. The United Nations should take some actions in regards to this matter and try to solve or at least look for alternate programs or ideas that may alleviate the situation these people are passing through.

Carola09 (talk) 00:36, 8 May 2010 (UTC)

Referemces

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