The Happy Dog Takes on the World: Gang Violence in Central America and the Causes of the Immigration Wave

Gang violence is prolific in Central America. According to Joaquín Villalobos, 145,000 gang-related homicides have occurred in the last decade within seven Central American countries - the most in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. MS-13 (short for Mara Salvatrucha), an El Salvadorian street gang notorious for violent acts against rival gangs and innocent bystanders alike, has been declared a "transnational criminal organization, " and is just one of the many gangs operating in Central American countries partially responsible for the vast influx of Central American migrants, many of them unaccompanied children, into the United States.

Join The City Club of Cleveland, the Cleveland Council on World Affairs and International Partners in Mission for a panel discussion on gang violence and its role in the current immigration wave to the United States.