The Truth About MS-13

President Donald Trump loves to repeat the phrase “strong borders, no crime.” This type of thinking has set the stage for much of his immigration policy, whether it’s his administration’s “zero tolerance” policy that has led to thousands of children being separated from their families, or his broader, relentless crackdown on undocumented immigrants. To hear Trump tell it, this is all done in the name of protecting the public from criminals—most infamously, the gang La Mara Salvatrucha, also known as MS-13. But what is MS-13, exactly? And is it really as big of a threat as Trump suggests?