The Mexican Mafia is an egalitarian organization in the sense that it is not led by a single leader. A criminal syndicate in the truest sense of the word, the Mexican Mafia operates from within the prison walls throughout the state of San Andreas, with its reach extending beyond the walls and directly into the streets of Los Santos. Its ranks consist of members of the Surenos gang, who surrender their autonomy to the Mexican Mafia. This method of recruitment allows the Mexican Mafia to choose the worst, strongest, most determined, and most fearsome individuals in the San Andreas prison system to work both inside and outside the prisons. In prison, the Surenos program, known as "Southern Car" or "Southern United Raza" (SUR), recruits not only Surenos members, but also unaffiliated Hispanic inmates. Any individual who identifies as a Sureno aligns himself with the Mexican Mafia.
Members of the Mexican Mafia are limited, in most cases, to Security Housing Units (SHU) programs due to the organization's Security Threat Group (STG) status. Inmates identified as bona fide members of the organization are not allowed to share the General Population Yard with other inmates in an attempt to reduce the Mexican Mafia's influence on the main lines of US prisons. The organization has since used "llaveros" or "key holders," who are individuals who represent one or more caras in these yards.
