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RNC 2020: Who are MS-13? Matt Gaetz slammed for saying Biden win will invite criminal gang to 'live next door'

The Republicans predicted a national 'horror movie' should Trump lose to Biden with Matt Gaetz saying, 'They’ll disarm you, empty the prisons, lock you in your home, and invite MS-13 to live next door'

What will happen if President Donald Trump will not be elected again? Well, explaining the "horror," Rep Matt Gaetz referred to the international gang MS-13 living next door to the civilians and threatening their lives. The Republicans predicted a national “horror movie” should President Donald Trump lose in November, flinging out dark warnings on Monday's opening night of their scaled-down national convention. As Gaetz said, "They’ll disarm you, empty the prisons, lock you in your home, and invite MS-13 to live next door." 

This wasn't the first time when Republicans referred to MS-13, as President Trump previously pointed the finger on former President Barack Obama over the spread of the gang. President Trump blamed Obama's immigration policy for the gang’s extraordinary wealth and had tweeted in April 2017: "The weak illegal immigration policies of the Obama Admin allowed bad MS 13 gangs to form in cities across U.S. We are removing them fast."

As soon as Gaetz made the reference, Internet users took to social media to vent out their anger. One user shared a picture of countries with the highest crime rates and said, "MS-13 ? Really everyone ? You rather live next to MS-13 with defunded police neighborhoods than live under Trump? Well, can you all make a petition to move El Salvador petition down... idk 100 places, since MS-13 is so friendly." While another user said that MS 13 is already their neighbor, "My children out playing in Virginia once wandered into an MS-13 hide-out and were brought home by police. In other words, MS-13 already are my neighbors. And, sadly, they've killed other of my neighbors."

And others mocked the comment by saying, "Say what you will about MS-13, we have a great dental plan. And I have nev—wait, hold on. (What?!) Bear with me a second . . . (Are you sure? Ok) um, sorry folks. I’m being told I don’t work for MS-13. I apologize. It’s just that these conventioneers had me think we all did." Remembering his childhood, another user said, "I grew up in a neighborhood where lots of kids affiliated with MS-13, and as horrible as MS-13 are, I've still got to say that I've been threatened and assaulted by more Trump supporters than MS-13 members"

And some questioned the concerns of Republicans by saying, "Why the f**k are Republicans more concerned about MS-13 than about the KKK and Neo-Nazi groups???? Oh yeah they're all white supremacists........" While some slammed the entire DNC 2020 and said, "DNC Convention: Platitudes, f**k nonvoters, etc. Join us Republicans. RNC Convention: Democrats literally want to summon Satan and sacrifice your beautiful children to him! Also, be scared of MS-13 and ANTIFA! Americans: healthcare pls."

While another user mocked the statement saying, "Rep. Matt Gaetz says Joe Biden will “invite MS-13 to live next door.” I did not know that."

Who are MS-13?

MS-13 is an international gang that began in the barrios of Los Angeles during the 1980s. The gang was formed by the immigrants who had fled El Salvador's long and brutal civil war. Other members came from Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico.

The MS stands for Mara Salvatrucha, said to be a combination of Mara, meaning gang, Salva, for Salvador, and Truchas, which translates roughly into street smarts. The 13 represents the position of M in the alphabet. The gang has spread to 46 states. According to a BBC report, in 2012, the US Treasury designated MS-13 a "transnational criminal organization". It was the first street gang to receive the dubious honor, along with other gangs like Italian Camorra, Japanese Yakuza, and Mexican Zetas.

The gang recruits poor teenagers and joining is said to require being "jumped in" -- subjected to a vicious 13-second beating and "getting wet" --, carrying out a crime, often a murder, for the gang. Leaving is potentially even more dangerous. In 2008, the FBI said that the gang includes between 6,000 and 10,000 members in the US, making it the largest criminal gang in the country itself. The revenue of the gang is estimated to be around $31.2m (£23.4m) obtained mainly from drugs and extortion.

"[MS-13] is one of the most dangerous and rapidly expanding criminal gangs in the world today," Philip Holloway, a legal analyst and former police officer, told Fox News. "MS-13’s mottos is ‘Mata, roba, viola, controla’ (Kill, steal, rape, control)," he added. In 2017, the gang made headlines after they allegedly beheaded a man in broad daylight in Washington DC. The thugs reportedly ripped out the dead man’s heart and tossed the corpse in a shallow grave, creating a horrible nightmare for the people of Washington DC.

Later, in April 2017, the bodies of four men aged between 16 to 20 were found in Central Islip, at the center of Long Island, where the victims were killed after being beaten up by baseball bats and machetes. "This was one of the largest and most brutal mass murders committed in Suffolk County’s history," Suffolk County Police Commissioner Timothy Sini said last month before a Senate homeland-security panel.