Date of Award

2025

Degree Type

Open Access Dissertation

Degree Name

Political Science, PhD

Program

School of Social Science, Politics, and Evaluation

Advisor/Supervisor/Committee Chair

Melissa Rogers

Dissertation or Thesis Committee Member

Robert J. Bunker

Dissertation or Thesis Committee Member

Mark Abdollahian

Terms of Use & License Information

Terms of Use for work posted in Scholarship@Claremont.

Rights Information

© 2025 Marisa Mendoza

Keywords

Los Zetas, Mexican Mafia, Transnational criminal organization

Subject Categories

Political Science

Abstract

This dissertation explores the evolution of Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) from a social stoner group in Los Angeles to a feared transnational criminal organization (TCO). Through a longitudinal study of literature and opensource materials spanning over 50 years, this study examines suppression and policy reforms enacted in the United States, Mexico, and Northern Triangle region of Central America that have catalyzed shifts in the criminal ecosystem, and vice versa. By exploring the genealogical makeup of TCO networks, particularly La Cosa Nostra, Mexican Mafia prison gang, and Los Zetas drug trafficking cartel, it will provide a better understanding of how an anomaly like MS-13 has metamorphosized across time and space. The research has been compiled into five regional case studies that chronologically trace MS-13’s evolution within each region. They include: 1) West Coast and Southwest; 2) Midwest and Texas Borderlands; 3) East Coast; 4) Northern Triangle; and 5) Mexico. Each case study focuses on three types of adaptations that MS-13 has undergone in order to advance within the criminal ecosystem. They include: 1) Environmental Adaptations; 2) Competitive Adaptations; and 3) Evolutionary Adaptations. Since this approach has not been previously utilized to study the development of criminal organizations, this study will build on theory and analytical tools found in: physical science; sociology; business; political science; and security studies. These include: 1) the adaptability of species, businesses, and industries during environmental shifts; 2) sub-culture development within enclave communities; 3) the Invisible Hand Theory; 4) Systems Thinking; 5) balloon and ripple effects initiated by policy change; 6) Porter’s 5 Forces and Supply Chain Network Analysis; 7) the hybridization process seen in the Big Cat species; and 8) Third Generation Gang and Cartel continuums. Beyond understanding MS-13’s evolutionary process from a traditional street gang to transnational criminal organization, this study aims to provide a framework for analyzing other criminal entities, transnational networks, and emerging security threats, such as Tren de Aragua.

ISBN

9798273336704

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