Opinion

El Salvador’s Champion

Juan Martínez d´Aubuisson / Truthdig Dec 30, 2022 President Nayib Bukele says he has defeated El Salvador’s gangs and brought peace to the nation. But the reality is more complex. Dig deeper ( 7 Min. Read )

What Media Got Wrong About the ‘Largest Gang Takedown Ever’

Adam Johnson / FAIR Apr 28, 2019 Dozens condemned by New York news reports during the now infamous “Bronx 120 gang raid” were not actually gang members. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

11 Dead, Nearly 70 Wounded in Weekend Violence in Chicago

MICHAEL TARM / The Associated Press Aug 6, 2018 A weekend burst of violence becomes a political issue when President Trump's lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, blames the carnage on longtime Democratic rule in the city. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Poll: Trump Voters Worry They or Family Will Be Attacked by MS-13           

Ilana Novick Jul 17, 2018 The president is using the gang as an excuse for harsher immigration policies. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Local N.Y. Media Wrongly Pushes for Gang Databases

Josmar Trujillo / FAIR Jul 8, 2018 New York City dailies play fast and loose with the inflammatory term “gang” and defer to questionable police tactics, just as they did with "stop and frisk" policies. Dig deeper ( 6 Min. Read )

Sessions Excludes Domestic, Gang Violence From Asylum Claims

ELLIOT SPAGAT / The Associated Press Jun 11, 2018 Fifteen former immigration judges have signed a letter calling the attorney general's decision "an affront to the rule of law." Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Sessions Trying to Take Over Immigration Court System

Ilana Novick May 14, 2018 With the attorney general "self-referring" cases, immigrants and their advocates are bracing themselves for harsher rulings. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Seven Inmates Die in South Carolina Prison Riot

MEG KINNARD / The Associated Press Apr 16, 2018 Bodies were "literally stacked on top of each other," one inmate said about the incident, which lasted more than seven hours. Officials didn't immediately say what sparked the violence. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Mother Who Lost Son to MS-13 Denounces Trump’s Racist Immigration Policies

Sonali Kolhatkar / Truthdig Apr 12, 2018 The president has lied and exaggerated the threat of the gang, and even used the grief of parents who have lost children to further his cruel anti-immigrant agenda. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

What Mass Shootings and Gang Murders Have in Common

Juan Cole / Informed Comment Feb 19, 2018 It's simple: semi-automatic rifles. President Trump keeps droning on about gang violence. Could this offer a path to legislating restrictions on these firearms? Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Trump’s Speech Blends Self-Congratulations and Dark Warnings

JULIE PACE and ZEKE MILLER / The Associated Press Jan 30, 2018 In his first State of the Union address, the president ranges far: national unity, immigration, the drug crisis, North Korea, the culture wars and other issues, including the MS-13 gang. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Sessions Relaunches Bush-Era Plan to Fight Crime

By Sadie Gurman / AP Oct 5, 2017 The 2001 program, begun under President George W. Bush, emphasizes aggressive prosecution of gun and gang crimes. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )