Cynthia Gonzalez, the Los Angeles-area vice mayor under fire for calling on “cholos” to defend their “turf” against Immigration and Customs Enforcement, governs a sanctuary city ravaged by gangs.

Gonzalez’s city of Cudahy, about 10 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles, is part of a quarter nicknamed the “Gang Capital of America.” According to police estimates, there are over 450 active gangs, whose memberships total more than 45,000, lurking in Los Angeles alone. Many of these criminal organizations have 50-year legacies of terrorizing small towns.