San Salvador’s Roman Catholic Archbishop has praised the multiple month-long state of emergency implemented to capture thousands involved with violent street gangs. Critics have stated the campaign has violated human rights and swept up innocent people.

“People are afraid of returning to the way it was before, now that they have begun to live without this scourge.”

Archbishop José Luis Escobar Alas said.

The gangs of El Salvador have been consisting of nearly 70,000 members and have controlled massive amounts of “territory” in the country as well as extorting and killing multiple people. The Archbishop continued, “People don't want the violence to return. They not only want these things maintained, but they also want them to advance, to end the violence.”

Archbishop José Luis Escobar Alas’ comments come as relatives of a young man caught in a raid who tried to get to the presidential palace to demand the release of innocent people. Rights activists have said that young men are being arrested based only on age, appearance, and if they live in gang-heavy areas. After supporting the efforts of the El Salvador government, Archbishop José Luis Escobar Alas urged the government to avoid margins of error like so.

With the new laws being implemented, the right to be informed of the reason for arrest, access to a lawyer, and the right of association have all been eliminated. The government reportedly can also intervene in calls and mail of anyone considered a suspect. Multiple waves of arrests have been made with very little evidence supporting them.