The Foreign Service Journal, October 2018

30 OCTOBER 2018 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL where U.S. law enforcement has no jurisdiction. This makes it very difficult to com- bat MS-13’s influence and activities in the United States, which is why preventing members and affiliates from entering the United States in the first place is critical. This is where the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service comes in. A New and Exemplary Initiative As the law enforcement and security arm of the U.S. Department of State, DSS partners with law enforcement in foreign countries to investigate crimes that affect U.S. citizens and national security, and trains our international counterparts to assist in those efforts. Combating transnational criminal organizations, including international gangs, is one of its top priorities. The most widely represented U.S. law enforcement agency around the world, DSS has more than 2,100 special agents serving at 275 U.S. embassies and consulates in 170 countries, as well as 29 domestic offices across the United States. In August 2017, as part of the effort to combat gang-related transnational crime, DSS and the State Department Bureau of Con- sular Affairs at the U.S. embassies in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras launched an enhanced gang vetting program to identify and block legal travel to the United States by gang members called the Fraud Reduction Operations in Northern Triangle (FRONT- Line) initiative. The initiative was first implemented in San Salva- dor. In 2017 El Salvador’s annual homicide rate was 60 murders per 100,000 inhabitants, placing it second on the list of countries outside of war zones with the highest homicide rates, according to InSight Crime . Many of the homicides and violent crimes in the country are attributed to gangs, which the Salvadoran government has been aggressively confronting. Though the majority of gang members who enter the United States do so illegally—without a visa and without inspection at a port of entry—many also attempt to obtain visas through the applica- tion and interview process at a U.S. embassy or consulate outside the United States. Significantly, as border security enhancement efforts to curb illegal immigration at the southern border itself showmore success, DSS and consular fraud prevention investiga- tors have observed an upward trend in gang members attempting to manipulate the visa process. The U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act is an excellent tool for preventing gang members from entering the United States on valid U.S. visas, but it is only effective when consular officers adjudicating visa applications have evidence of an applicant’s gang affiliation. According to Section 212(a)(3)(A)(ii) of the Act, an applicant is ineligible for a visa when a consular officer has reason to believe that the applicant is coming to the United States solely, principally or incidentally to engage in unlawful activ- ity. Visa applicants who are affiliated with gangs can be found to be ineligible for visas to travel to the United States under this section; it does not require a criminal conviction, and there is no waiver available for this inadmissibility. Special Agent Kai Fornes presents the San Salvador enhanced gang vetting process at the 2017 inaugural FRONT-Line Workshop in San Salvador, with a graphic from the presentation. Below: The cachos (El Salvadoran slang for horns) that hang on the wall of the ARSO-I/Fraud Prevention Unit in San Salvador are a reminder of the significance of the gang vetting efforts. The horns, one of the many symbols used by MS-13, have been painted with graffiti and other adornments associated with the notorious gang. U.S.DEPARTMENTOFSTATE COURTESYOFKAIFORNES U.S.DEPARTMENTOFSTATE