The Trump administration recently deported 17 alleged members of the MS-13 and Tren de Aragua gangs to El Salvador’s infamous CECOT prison. This event coincided with a violent incident at Virginia’s Wallens Ridge State Prison, where five guards were injured in a premeditated attack by inmates affiliated with MS-13 and Sureño 13 gangs. The attack, which occurred on May 2, resulted in three guards suffering stab wounds, leading to hospitalization. State corrections officials characterized the event as a targeted assault on staff, with six inmates involved, five of whom were confirmed MS-13 members from El Salvador, highlighting their illegal status in the U.S.
Virginia Department of Corrections Director Chad Dotson criticized the situation, emphasizing that these individuals should not have been in the country and underscoring the daily risks faced by corrections officers. The agency did not disclose further details due to an ongoing investigation.
MS-13, or La Mara Salvatrucha, originated in Los Angeles and has more than 10,000 members across the U.S. since the 1980s. Predominantly composed of Salvadoran immigrants, the gang has expanded its presence both in Central America and among immigrant communities in the U.S., often in urban areas, but increasingly in rural locales.
Designated a transnational criminal organization in 2012, MS-13 has been involved in various illegal activities, although studies suggest immigrants, in general, do not commit crimes at higher rates than native-born citizens. The Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration has included identifying detainees as gang members or terrorists, which coincides with heightened enforcement against transnational gangs like MS-13 and others.
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