Guatemala passes anti-gang law, declares gangs terrorist groups

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GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Guatemala passed a new anti-gang law on Tuesday aimed at giving the government more resources to fight the groups, which are now considered terrorist organizations.

The law designates the Barrio 18 and Mara Salvatrucha gangs as terrorist groups, increases prison sentences for gang members convicted of crimes, and orders the construction of a new prison for gang members.

The legislation, which had been in limbo for years, gained momentum following the escape of 20 members of Barrio 18 from a prison earlier this month. That security failure led President Bernardo Arévalo to accept the resignations of three top security officials last week.

On Tuesday, before the legislation passed, Arévalo said the escape had been a coordinated plot by the gang, which was frustrated by steps his then-Interior Minister Francisco Jiménez was taking to toughen conditions for them in prison.

Also Tuesday, police said that a fourth gang member who escaped with the group had been recaptured.

In September, the Trump administration designated Barrio 18 as a foreign terrorist organization, something it had already done with Mara Salvatrucha.

Guatemala's neighbor El Salvador has successfully decimated the gangs in its territory, but has done so by suspending some fundamental rights under a more than three-year state of emergency and putting more than 80,000 people into prison.

Still, its security success has drawn the attention of other leaders in the region and increased calls from their constituents for tougher measures against gangs.