Ever since 1980, the MS-13 gang has been making appearances all over the United States and Central America. There’s over 10,000 gang members currently in the streets of Washington D.C. and 40 states across the U.S and nearly 50,000 in Central America.

According to CNN.com, the United States has been funding paramilitary police officers in El Salvador who were once accused of illegally executing gang members.

During the last two years, the U.S. has provided $140 million to El Salvador, $67.9 million in 2016 and $72.7 million in 2017.

“The U.S. government takes allegations of extrajudicial killings extremely seriously, and has consistently expressed concerns regarding allegations of security force abuses, the need for accountability, and the critical role of rights-respecting security forces in a healthy democracy,” a spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in El Salvador said.

Since the accusations arose, El Salvador changed its laws to “soften the penalties” for their police officers. As of right now, if an officer is not charged within 72 hours of a murder, then he or she can “return to active duty.”

According to a United Nations report, the number of gang members killed from 2014 to 2016 rose from 103 to 591.

In recent years, the gang has gained publicity for their involvement in drug dealing, extortion, robbery and human trafficking across America.

“MS-13 getting hyped to be one of the most dangerous gangs in the world just feeds into the gang’s goal,” Alex Sanchez, former MS-13 member said in a New Yorker article.