CALS Asylum Case Research Guide

Central American gang violence is pervasive in the daily lives of millions and is well documented.  The links below have useful information, but be sure to check the resources under "Where to Start" tab.

• Women on the Run is a 2015 UNHCR report specifically discussing the impact of gang violence on women and how it relates to international refugee law.
• Insight Crime is a foundation that studies organized crime in Latin America and the Caribbean.  See this indepth page on Gangs, MS13 in the Americas report and Gangs in Honduras report
• Rights in Exile has a useful introduction to gang-based claims.
• Central American Gang-Related Asylum: A Resource Manual (2008)
• Gangs in Central America: 2016 Congressional Research Service (CRS) report. Page 4 has gang membership numbers by country.
• Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13): An International Perspective - 2005 unclassified report from the FBI. Page 10 begins sections on El Salvador, Honduras, and Mexico.  Appendix C (p.29) lists "cliques" and their locations.
• Central America and Mexico Gang Assessment (2006 USAID report)
• Gangs in El Salvador and the Situation of Witnesses of Crime and Corruption (2016). Prepared by the Research Directorate of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada.  Discusses territory, activities, structure, and much more. 

Gang Tattoo, photo from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement