Every day, children across the Sun City are being recruited to join gangs not only in high schools but also in middle schools. Some of the students as young as 12 years old are being recruited by high school members.

"We believe a lot of parents don't understand in depth their kids and the kind of stuff that they do either at home or at the school," said Crystal Marrero, an Andress High School Parent Involvement Leader. Currently there are more than 500 known gangs across the Borderland, with close to 90 of them involved in criminal activity, according to the El Paso Police Department.

"We see a lot of gang activity just being out there at the high school," Marrero added.

Wearing a certain color more than others is one sign which often goes unnoticed by parents and even school officials. "They don't understand why their student prefers a certain color over another or they wear their hat a certain way or the markings on their eyebrow actually mean something,” said a parent who is also part of parent involvement at Andress High School.

Gangs are a growing concern for parents and teachers across El Paso and in an effort to educate the public on the red flags, Lara and Marrero both organized a gang awareness presentation in conjunction with the El Paso Police Department. It’s being held this evening, Thursday March 11, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Andress High School gym, located on the 5400 block Sun Valley Drive.

“We're asking all parents, principals, administrators, educators anybody who wants to know anything about gang activity to please come,” Marrero said. “Teenagers are welcome to come, we're going to have a separate presentation for them."

Other red flags your child may have ties to a gang include a sudden change in friends and an increased interest in things such as clothing or money, as well as desiring too much privacy.