The following analysis comes from the House Committee on International Relation, Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, meeting on April 20, 2005 on Capitol Hill.

Crime and gang violence have consistently topped the list of public concerns throughout Latin America. According to testimony by Adolfo Franco, Assistant Administrator of the Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean, USAID, “Latin America has the dubious distinction of being one of the most violent regions in the world, with crime rates more than double the world average and comparable to rates in war-torn Africa.” SOCOM estimates some 70,000 gangsters in Latin America; the numbers are infinitely higher when sympathizers are incorporated. Consequently, El Salvador and Honduras have launched crackdowns, called Mano Dura, on gangs, like MS-13 , in an effort to bolster confidence in public institutions and the government’s ability even to safeguard its own citizens (WAR Report). In El Salvador, the Motherland of MS-13, national police noted that 60 percent of 2,756 homicides were gang-related. This group is continuing to grow in popularity and in violent behavior and has gained the attention of US ICE. Interestingly, only Panama has implemented Mano Amiga, an outreach program to at-risk youth to avoid gangs. Of particular concern in Mexico are the links of criminal elements to drug, weapons, and human trafficking, particularly across the US border (WAR Report), along with organized criminal acts and rivalries.