Mexican authorities have found members of the violent gang MS-13 among migrant caravans headed towards the United States, multiple Mexican media outlets quoted a high-ranking government official as saying.
Enrique Cárdenas del Avellano, the Ministry of Interior’s northeastern regional delegate, said that authorities have deported some MS-13 gang members they detected in migrant caravans, Mexican media outlets La Prensa, El Mañana and La Verdad de Tamaulipas reported over the weekend.
Cárdenas del Avellano told the Spanish-language outlets that he doesn’t know how many MS-13 members are in the region.
Members of the MS-13 gang attend a class in Chalatenango prison, 84 km north of San Salvador, on March 29, 2019. (MARVIN RECINOS/AFP/Getty Images)
MS-13 members are in “the minority” among caravan members but “do exist” and “seek to extend their networks, especially to the United States,” Cárdenas del Avellano told the outlets. (RELATED: Migrants Riot At Mexican Immigration Station To Prevent Deportations)
The transnational gang was launched in California by Salvadoran immigrants but has a formidable presence in other parts of the U.S. as well, particularly Long Island, New York.
Central American migrants -mostly Honduran- taking part in a caravan to the US, are pictured on board a truck heading to Irapuato in the state of Guanajuato on November 11, 2018 after spending the night in Queretaro in central Mexico. (ALFREDO ESTRELLA/AFP/Getty Images)
The gang’s informal motto is “Mata, roba, viola, controla,” which translates to “kill, steal, rape, control.”
Follow Hasson on Twitter @PeterJHasson
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.