In the past, the word “Gang” was used to describe a group of people who banded together to form a type of club. However, in modern times it has a much more negative meaning. “Gang” now refers basically to “a group of people coming together for some criminal action or other antisocial purpose (Erkan 2012)”. The United States became known for gangs in certain areas around the year 2011. With over a million people involved in gangs, and more that 33 thousand gangs here in the states. For many years now, these groups have existed throughout the United States, often running criminal activities and causing serious problems in our cities. Some of the most dangerous and violent of these groups have been formed by Mexican immigrants. For this reason, one of the main concerns of recent problems with illegal immigration has been gang-related activities.
While other gangs were formed in black and white communities,
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The inmates learned to band together with others of the same backgrounds. As they grew, these groups became more and more powerful within the prison system. Then they began to expand and have influence over what took place outside of the prisons. One of the most powerful gangs that developed is “The Mexican Mafia” which has great influence and a long reach. Also known as “La Eme”, this group is extremely violent and has been active since the 1940s. The Mexican Mafia was formed within the California Department of Corrections, which is the largest prison system in the country (Ferranti 2011). The “Mexican Mafia” and other Mexican gangs within the United States now have connections with the dangerous drug cartels throughout Mexico. This has expanded their resources, which has made them even more powerful. For example, one of these drug cartels, “Los Zetas”, has control over 11 states in Mexico. They are active there but also have strong connections into the United States (Erkan