Guatemala’s Congress has passed a sweeping anti-gang law designed to impose harsher criminal penalties on members of these groups, and to establish a new prison system in the Central American country.
The “Law for the Frontline Combat of Criminal Activities of Maras” received backing from 145 lawmakers on October 21. This move comes on the heels of the escape of about two dozen Barrio 18 gang members from a Guatemalan prison earlier this month.
A statement on the official website of the Congress of the Republic of Guatemala indicated that the law will target gangs already classified by the United States as transnational criminal and terrorist organizations.
🚫 ¡Se acabó!
La #LeyAntipandillas es contundente, los mareros serán capturados y procesados con todo el peso de la ley sin beneficios.
¡La seguridad de los guatemaltecos es prioridad!
🏛️ #XLegislatura pic.twitter.com/VkNZRTKftm
— Congreso Guatemala (@CongresoGuate) October 24, 2025
The legislation formally designates Barrio 18 and the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) as transnational criminal organizations, along with their derivative gangs and any other related terrorist structures.
Tougher sentences
The opposition-majority Congress significantly increased prison terms for individuals belonging to these criminal groups.
The existing Organized Crime Law had imposed a 10-year prison sentence on members of illegal structures. The new law doubles that penalty to 20 years.
Furthermore, the maximum prison sentence for extortion (one of the primary crimes committed by gangs in Guatemala) was raised from 12 to 18 years. The law also sets prison terms of 14 to 18 years for anyone who recruits minors into gangs.
The legislation imposes fines ranging from Q100,000 to Q300,000 (approximately $13,000 to $39,000) on individuals who recruit, organize, or intimidate minors under 18 to participate in criminal activities.
This legal framework will also authorize Bernardo Arévalo’s government to construct two maximum-security facilities, with a budget allocation of $26 million. According to the law, one facility will be for serving sentences, while the other will be a pre-trial detention center to “comprehensively address” the gang problem.
✅ Conoce los puntos más importantes de la #LeyAntipandillas ⬇️
🏛️ #XLegislatura
🔎 #TransparenciaLegislativa pic.twitter.com/2z1xNfpslP
— Congreso Guatemala (@CongresoGuate) October 24, 2025
The law also stipulates that while these prisons are being built, government authorities may sign agreements with other nations to transfer gang members abroad.
What spurred the rush to pass the law?
Although the U.S. government designated Barrio 18 as a terrorist group last September and MS-13 last February, it was the escape of 20 gang members between late September and early October that accelerated the review and passage of the Anti-Gang Law.
On October 12, the Guatemalan government confirmed the gang members’ escape from the Fraijanes II prison, located about 28 kilometers from the capital.
According to local media reports, the Barrio 18 members bribed prison guards with US dollars to disable internal security, allowing them to escape in the early hours with outside help.
Guatemalan authorities have since reported the recapture of some gang members.
Following the approval of the law, both Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo and the U.S. Embassy in the country welcomed its enactment.
President of Guatemala, Bernardo Arévalo
A DW report noted that Arévalo was not in Guatemala when the gang members’ escape became public. He was on a trip to Europe, meeting with Pope Leo XIV.
This crisis in the Guatemalan prison system also led to the resignation of the Minister of Governance, Francisco Jiménez, who was cited as one of the officials allegedly responsible for the security breach.
Featured image credit: PNC de Guatemala
