Alex Sanchez is a former high-ranking member of MS-13.
He became involved in the gang in the 1980s in Los Angeles and participated in its expansion.
He is now the executive director of Homies Unidos and is a violence-prevention worker and expert on gang culture.
He speaks with Business Insider about the Los Angeles Police Department, tattooing, rules and codes, media perception, and the political language used to depict the gang, such as Donald Trump's comments in 2018.
Sanchez's story is profiled in the books "MS-13: The Making of America's Most Notorious Gang" and "Unforgetting: A Memoir of Family, Migration, Gangs, and Revolution in the Americas."
Persons:
Alex Sanchez, Sanchez, Donald Trump's
Organizations:
El, Homies, Los Angeles Police Department
Locations:
Los Angeles, El Salvador, Americas