MS-13 is responsible for 207 murders since 2012.
Between 2012 and 2016, there were over 76,000 murders in the US.
That means MS-13 is responsible for less than 0.3% of all US murders during that time.
The dog whistle deafens.
Between 2012 and 2016, there were over 76,000 murders in the US.
That means MS-13 is responsible for less than 0.3% of all US murders during that time.
The dog whistle deafens.
And the arrest data? 500 arrests? We arrest 10 MILLION people every year. Since 2012, there have been 92 arrests in California—a state that arrests over 1 MILLION people PER YEAR.
And the MS-13-connected data all comes from the CIS, an anti-immigration group. So, if anything, they’re going to take a very generous definition of “MS-13-affiliated.” And this is the best they can do.
And yes, the CIS study says 207 *arrested,* not 207 were convicted. So the conviction rate is likely lower, but the undiscovered murder rate perhaps higher. But murder clearance still high enough that… we have a good sense of scale here.
This also might be a good time to talk about what a “gang involved crime” is. What is it? Depends!
For some police departments, it has to be tied to gang activity: murders over turf, say. For others, just need a “known gang member” (even if, say, DV unconnected to the gang).
For some police departments, it has to be tied to gang activity: murders over turf, say. For others, just need a “known gang member” (even if, say, DV unconnected to the gang).
So “gang crime” is not some objective measure, and what it means varies from city to city based on what individual police departments choose to do.
