President Bernardo Arévalo called an overhaul of his country’s prison system an “absolute priority” after 20 inmates accused of belonging to the Barrio 18 group were found to have escaped undetected.
Category: Gangs
Inmates Make Brazen Escape in Guatemala
“I’m not going to deny the reality — there’s no good explanation,” the interior minister said of how the 20 inmates had slipped out, perhaps over a period of time.
U.N. Security Council Approves Larger Security Force to Fight Gangs in Haiti
The vote on Tuesday would establish a force of up to 5,500 soldiers and police officers. It was unclear what countries were willing to contribute personnel.
Why Is Trump Returning MS-13 Leaders to El Salvador? Takeaways From Times Reporting.
The agreement with Nayib Bukele, the president of El Salvador, is undermining a long-running federal investigation into the gang, according to people familiar with the inquiry.
El Salvador Police Say Quotas and Rumors Fueled Bukele’s Mass Arrests
Tens of thousands of people were jailed as part of President Nayib Bukele crackdown on gangs. Some police officers now admit they arrested people on flimsy or nonexistent evidence to meet quotas.
Ecuador Captures Gang Leader ‘Fito’ Whose Prison Escape Set Off Violence
José Adolfo Macías, known as “Fito,” will be extradited to the U.S., where he is wanted on accusations of trafficking drugs and smuggling weapons, Ecuador’s president said.
U.K. to Collect Ethnicity Data on All Suspects in Child Sexual Abuse Cases
A review of Britain’s so-called grooming gangs scandal had recommended the move, saying that an information “vacuum” had allowed people to “sow and spread hatred.”
Defense Lawyers for Kilmar Abrego Garcia Ask Judge to Release Him Pretrial
The request came as lawyers in Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia’s separate civil case were poised to ask a different judge to hold the Trump administration in contempt for sidestepping one of her orders.
Haiti Enlists Blackwater Founder and Trump Ally to Take on Criminal Gangs
The Haitian government has signed a contract with Mr. Prince, the private military contractor who founded Blackwater, a company notorious for a civilian massacre in Iraq.
Trump Appointee Pressed Analyst to Redo Intelligence on Venezuelan Gang
The move followed a disclosure that intelligence agencies disagree with a key factual claim Trump made to invoke a wartime deportation law.
Trump Labels Haiti’s Powerful Gangs as Terrorists
The move will enable harsh sanctions on the gangs, which control important sectors of the country’s economy, and anybody that does business with them.
Swedish Police Arrest 16-Year-Old After 3 Are Shot
The motive was unclear but the police said they were investigating if the shooting had been gang-related.
Behind Trump’s Deal to Deport Venezuelans to El Salvador’s Most Feared Prison
New details deepen questions about the deportations, showing that El Salvador’s president pressed for assurances that the migrants were really members of the Tren de Aragua gang.
