'Salvatrucha' may be a combination of the words Salvadoran and trucha, a Caliche word for being alert.

Additionally, the word mara means gang in Caliche slang and is taken from marabunta, the name of a fierce type of ant. Some sources state the gang is named for La Mara, a street in San Salvador, and the Salvatrucha guerrillas who fought in the Salvadoran Civil War. There is some dispute about the etymology of the name. The gang is often referenced by the United States' Republican Party to advocate for stricter immigration policies. In 2018, the gang's US membership of up to 10,000 accounted for less than 1% of the 1.4 million gang members in the United States, and a similar share of gang murders. Most members are Central American, Salvadorans in particular.Īs an international gang, its history is closely tied to United States–El Salvador relations. The gang is currently active in many parts of the continental United States, Canada, Mexico, and Central America. Many MS-13 members were deported to El Salvador after the end of the Salvadoran Civil War in 1992, or upon being arrested, facilitating the spread of the gang to Central America. MS-13 is defined by its cruelty, and its rivalry with the 18th Street gang. Over time, the gang grew into a more traditional criminal organization. Originally, the gang was set up to protect Salvadoran immigrants from other gangs in the Los Angeles area. Mara Salvatrucha, commonly known as MS-13, is an international criminal gang that originated in Los Angeles, California, in the 1970s and 1980s.

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