The following is an excerpt from a Full Measure story. - Jonathan Elias travels to Honduras to get a glimpse into the gang violence and desperation that leads Hondurans to escape to America.
Honduras is one of the poorest and most violent countries in Central America, surrounded by Spanish-speaking nations with stronger economies. Panama and Costa Rica have had generous asylum policies and, to the north, Guatemala and Mexico have been open to migrants in recent years. Despite that, many still choose the long, grueling trek to America...
MS-13 is as violent as gangs come.. their motto: kill, steal, rape, control. The White House says there are about 10,000 MS-13 gang members in the US today.
On Long Island in 2016, MS-13 members used machetes and bats to kill 16-year-old Nisa Mickens and her best friend Kayla Cuevas.
In Maryland in 2017, these three MS-13 members were arrested for brutally stabbing a victim more than 100 times - cutting off his head and cutting out his heart.
Nationwide, since 2012, an average of about 35 murders have been tied to MS-13 every year.
There are thousands of MS-13 here in Honduras and we arranged for a rare sit down with two young members.
Right now, we’re heading into an area that’s completely controlled by the gangs. We’re going to sit down with two members of MS-13 and we’re told that when you come into the neighborhood, you have to have your windows down so they can see who’s coming in. (Continued...)
You can watch the full story here: http://fullmeasure.news/news/cover-story/escaping-honduras
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