Young Central
American asylum seekers fleeing violence and poverty in their home countries are increasingly falling prey to the notorious MS-13 gang in the
United States, authorities say.
The youngsters, most of them from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, are proving to be easy targets for the gang which takes advantage of their vulnerability as immigrants.
"They are young victims who very likely left their countries in the hope that they would find security and prosperity in the United States,"
Los Angeles County district attorney Jackie Lacey said last week as she announced a sweeping indictment against 22 members of the gang.