Teen who fled violence in El Salvador says he faced similar threats in Chelsea
After fleeing gang violence in El Salvador for a better life in the U.S., a teenager says he encountered much of the same in Chelsea, according to a report from The Boston Globe.
The 18-year-old, whose name was withheld for his protection, enrolled at Chelsea High School last fall. Soon after, he was accused of belonging to rival gangs and threatened with violence, the Globe reported.
The teen shared his story just days after 37 members of the street gang MS-13 were arrested. The gang, which is notorious for targeting and recruiting middle and high schoolers, has a heavy presence in Chelsea, East Boston, and Everett, where many students are immigrants. The international, violent street gang operates under the motto “Mata, viola, controla,’’ or, kill, rape, control.
Several shootings have been linked to MS-13 members in the last month, including an altercation at the Maverick T station and the death of an East Boston teenager, Christofer Perez-De la Cruz.
The Salvadoran teen has withdrawn from Chelsea High and is now living with family friends in Everett, the Globe reported. He’s seeking asylum and hopes to continue his education and get a job so that he can someday bring his mother and two sisters to live with him in the U.S.
“I don’t want violence in my country and I don’t want violence here because I want a better life,’’ he told the Globe.
Read the full Globe story here.
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