Tattoos :: Tatuajes

PT.1 - TATTOOS::TATUAJES

There have been a number of times in Mexico that friends, familia, migrants, or random strangers have asked to see my tattoos. Many have also asked me about their meanings. While this could get old, I've found it to be a great conversation starter [besides, I like sporting my art]. In turn, I have asked many of the migrants with tatuajes about their body art. EndFragment    

Twenty-year old Charli received his first tattoo a couple of years ago. He got a tombstone with a cross in the middle. It was a design that he had seen and liked [without knowing it's meaning]. It was only later that he found out that this design signifies that you have killed someone. He promptly, covered up the design with another tattoo.

Charli also sports a scroll that says in English "God Bless My Family." Above that, he has the name of his mother - "Ester" - inked on his upper arm. In Central America, it is very common to tattoo the name of one's mother as an act of love and display of loyalty. 

Charli also has a bird on his hand, which resembles Honduras... I think.

Erik sports a number of tattoos which he has received while living in the U.S. Erik's tattoos are noticeably different than those of other individuals I have seen in the shelter. Erik's left forearm is adorned with a colorful and artistic rendition of Jesus on the cross. 

Meanwhile, his upper left arm carries a portrait of the Virgin Mary.

Erik shared that he plans to get El Padre Nuestro [Our Father] inked on his body as a return on a promise he made with God. He also plans to tattoo San Tobias on his upper right arm.

And, his left bicep reveals the hebrew script for "yeshua," the Greek word for Jesus, which is translated as "God is Salvation." [I found this tattoo very interesting because I nearly got the same tattoo before deciding to write "yeshua" in English rather than Greek script. Also very strange is the fact that Erik has this tattoo on the inside of his left bicep: the exact same place that I have my "yeshua" tattoo.]

Upon his arrival in the shelter, Charli a twenty-year old Honduran [pictured above] shared that his reason for leaving his home was to flee the gangs who threatened to kill him for his tattoos. I proceeded to ask him about this. He shared that he was from San Pedro Sula, which is purportedly the most dangerous city in the world.* Charli shared that only gangsters and their allies are allowed to have tattoos since gang affiliations are revealed within tattoos.** If someone not in a gang has tattoos, the gangs will try to recruit him or her. If the person refuses to work with the gang, they will be viewed as an enemy gang member and killed. 

When gangsters saw Charli’s tattoos, they took notice of him. They asked him to sell drugs for them, and threatened his life if he refused. Because he did not want to sell drugs, Charli knew he would have to flee if he were to keep his life. The next morning, Charli left with his cousin.

Julio, who has been living in Minnesota for over 25 years, carries the name of his daughter on his neck

A number of weeks before, another migrant told me he would like to get a tattoo, but never has because of the gangs. He shared that a catracho [nickname for Honduran] friend of his became covered in tattoos while living in Houston. Later, he was deported to Honduras. One month after arriving back in his home country, he was killed for his tattoos.

If you think it sounds trivial that people are being killed over tattoos, you’re right, it is trivial. This lethal game is not limited to just tattoos, though. In the shelter, hand scribbled 13s and 18s decorate the bathroom stall and bunk bed posts. One can see where 13s have been transformed into 18s and where 18s have been crossed out. Meanwhile, my migrant friend Fidel tells me that in Honduras, each gang wears a different brand of clothing. Barrio 18 reps Nike, while MS-13 reps Adidas.  While all of this seems so trivial to an outsider, it is a part of the lifestyle of the gangsters. The gangs seek to maintain their territory and show their dominance. While their tactics may be trivial, they are nonetheless lethal.

Fidel's left arm is marked by a scar from having his tattoo removed. He did so because of fear that his tattoo would endanger him as gangs encroached on his Honduran neighborhood.

While Charli’s story may sound extreme, he is far from alone in fleeing gang violence. Out of the first two hundred migrants to pass through the doors of La Sagrada Familia in November, forty-five reported that their life would be in danger if they returned to their home country. Among the reasons reported for why they were traveling, these individuals said

“pobreza y delincuencia,” “huyendo de MS-13,” “delincuencia… no puedo vivir en paz,” “delincuencia… tengo que pagar renta a las Maras,” “la violencia,” “proteger mi vida,” “he estado almenazado por las pandillas,” “las pandillas quieren que sea miembro,” “hermano fue matado por una pandilla,” “corrupción,”…

“poverty and delincuency,” “fleeing MS-13,” “delincuency… I cannot live in peace,” “delincuency… threatened by the gangs,” “the gangs want me to join them,” “brother was killed by a gang,” “corruption,”…

In a number of ways, gangs are ravaging the nations that form the northern triangle of Central America: Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala. The gangs control neighborhoods and thus the movement of people within the cities of Central America [especially, San Pedro Sula, Tegucigalpa and San Salvador]. The gangs impose taxes on the people in their barrio for protection – just as the mafia does. The gangs sell drugs and work with narcos in the movement and distribution of drugs. The gangs defend their turf and seek revenge against those who have harmed them, and those who refuse to work for them. The sad thing about all of this is that the gangs have impunity from everyone but each other. As Fidel shared, the gangs and police are the same thing.

PT.2 - AN INDICTMENT OF THE UNITED STATES

While this problem may seem distant and irrelevant to the lives of United States citizens, this is anything but the truth. To tell the story of these gangs, we need to rewind history sixty years…

Throughout the Cold War, the United States intruded on the sovereignty of Latin American nations in the name of “democracy” and “national security.” This “Big Brother” policy was carried out with the intent to stop socialist and leftist movements, which were seen as evil. While few may argue that the U.S. had good intentions, none can deny the consequences that these practices have had on Latin America. In Central America, the U.S. government subversively supported coups to resist leftist movements and overthrew newly elected leftist governments. The U.S. also supplied weapons and military training to a number of Central American governments and militia groups, provoking a number of military conflicts and several civil wars.

As a result of this violence, a number of Central Americans refugees fled to the U.S., where they were granted refuge. However, this was not the end of these refugees’ struggles. As foreigners in U.S. cities [especially Los Angeles] that were at times turbulent and violent, immigrants from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador found themselves persecuted and at risk from established gangs. In order to protect themselves, these immigrants formed their own gangs. Hence, Barrio 18 and MS-13 were born on the streets of Los Angeles, California.

The power of these gangs increased over time. Soon, these two gangs found themselves among the baddest of the U.S. In order to fight these gangs, the U.S. government began deporting gangsters who were immigrants in the early-1990s. We essentially deported our problem to another part of the world. As members of the Maras and Barrio 18 arrived in Central America, they entered a world that lacked economic opportunity.*** With lack of legitimate economic opportunities, these gangsters naturally turned to the illicit activities with which they were familiar. These gangsters discovered new territory that was ripe for gang activity. Their new homes lacked the vigilance and law enforcement present in the U.S. Furthermore, these new homes abounded with impoverished people, who were vulnerable to recruitment by gangs. The gangs soon spread like wildfire.

Today, people are fleeing Central America, not only because of poverty, but also because of gang violence. These individuals are headed north to Mexico and the U.S. to seek asylum and refuge. Unfortunately, the U.S. immigration system is not built to accommodate gang violence. Asylum in the U.S. is granted for persecution that results from race, religion, nationality, or participation in a political or social group, but not from random – though lethal – gang violence. As a result, the U.S. government is deporting many individuals back to their home countries where there lives are threatened by gangs.

To make matters worse, the U.S. has continued its “Big Brother” tendencies by giving money to the Mexican government to stop Central American migrants in Mexico before they reach the U.S. border. Over the last year, the U.S. has given tens of millions of dollars to the Mexican government in what has been deemed “El Plan Frontera Sur” [“Plan Southern Border”]. Other than the obvious disrespect for Mexican sovereignty and explicit acts of neo-colonialism, this action is horrifying because of its’ effect on Central Americans fleeing violence. “El Plan Frontera Sur” has led to increased violence against migrants from immigration agents, federal police, state police and municipal police. In addition, it has led to many individuals being deported to their home nations before their pleas for asylum are ever heard. It is already harder to get asylum in Mexico than the U.S. [many statistics share that Mexico grants less than twenty percent of asylum pleas, while the U.S. grants closer to fifty percent], but recent reports share that many asylum pleas are not even being heard. As NPR’s Carrie Kahn reports

advocates for the migrants say many would-be refugees with credible asylum claims are getting swept up. On a recent tour of detention facilities along Mexico's southern border, Eric Olson with the Wilson Center in Washington says he saw evidence of that. He reviewed dozens of forms to be filled out by migrants with questions regarding fear and requesting protection. They'd already been checked no.[see further resources #4]

Eric Olson further states, “it wasn't just that somebody had gone through with the pen and marked off no, no, no, no, but it - they were literally printed with a check in the box” [see further resources #4].

In other words, by diverting State Department funds for drug interdiction to “El Plan Frontera Sur,” the U.S. government is denying Central Americans the opportunity to plea asylum. The U.S. government is essentially sending these Central Americans to their deathbeds. When asked how we should respond, Sonia Nozario shared

I think that we expect Europe to step up and do the right thing when it comes to people who are fleeing for their lives, which is very different from an economic migrant who's coming to this country because they want a better life. I draw a clear distinction. We cannot take every economic migrant on earth. But if you are a person running for your life, we need to step up and do the right thing. Now is one of those times.[see further resources #3]

Charli's hand after removing his own stitches. I promised I would share this picture [he was proud of himself]

*There is a toque de queda [curfew] when night falls in San Pedro Sula that is enforced by the gangs. After this time, only gangs and police are on the street. Being out at night, puts one's life in the hands of these violent gangs.

** Charli said that candle on my arm could easily be construe as a “1,” which would put me in danger with the two biggest and baddest gangs in Central America. Both MS-13 and Barrio 18 incorporate their numbers into tattoos. Thus, my candle could be construed as the 1 in 13 or in 18. Either way, I would be in big trouble. 

***This lack of economic opportunity can partly be traced back to the decisions of transnational corporations [many of which were born in the U.S.] and international trade agreements. However, this discussion [err… rant] is better left for another time.

Further Resources:
1. "Surreal Reasons Girls Are Disappearing in El Salvador"
2. "In A Nation In the Grips of Gangs, 2 Sisters Make A Bid For Safety"
3. "Inside the Crackdown To Stop Migrants, Before They Reach U.S. Border"
4. "Mexico Deporting Migrating Minors In Record Numbers"

To learn more about MS-13, I recommend this video as a starting point: