Gangs in the DC Metro area

Northern Virginiastan is about "Monitoring how Islam is subverting public institutions in Northern Virginia and the greater DC Metro Area." Consequently, we normally don't discuss other issues, but after reading blog member Always on Watch's post Immigration Advocates Need A Reality Check on his own blog, I felt the need to share some news items concerning Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, a Latino gang (more accurately called a transnational criminal enterprise) active in the DC Metro area. It's all the more relevant because of alleged meetings between Al-Qaeda and MS-13 operatives in Central America.

From WJLA ABC 7 comes this news item about Montgomery County (MD) Executive Doug Duncan's recent visit with the President of El Salvador seeking support in fighting gang violence. Of course, much of Duncan's visit was opportunistic, as he sought trade ties with El Salvador and this trip could bolster his standing when he runs for Governor. Coverage of his trip states that Salvadoreno residents in Maryland send back millions of dollars in remittances to El Salvador.

From the Washington Post via Yahoo! News comes this article on Anti-Gang Strategies Lack Unity, which quotes Montgomery County police chief J. Thomas Manger (formerly of Faifax): "In Fairfax, it was pockets: Baileys [Crossroads], Route 1, Falls Church. It's the same situation here. There's probably more neighborhood gangs here, and we have more African American gangs. But 90 percent of the problem over here in Montgomery County is Latino gangs. . . . It goes down the [Interstate] 270 corridor: Montgomery Village, Gaithersburg, Wheaton, Silver Spring to Takoma Park."

Is it more than a coincidence that there is also a high concentration of Muslims in Baileys and Fall Church? The same can be said for Herndon.

Lastly, from CNN.com, comes this article Guatemala prison riots kill dozens: At least 30 dead in gang clashes at four prisons between MS-13 members and members of rival gang MS-18.