Latin America Today
Latin America Today provides news and analysis of politics, security, development, and U.S. policy in Latin America and the Caribbean. Produced by the Washington Office on Latin America, the podcast covers current events and issues affecting the region.
Episodes
Saving asylum and retaking the narrative: defending LGBTQ+ migrants in Tijuana
In this episode of the WOLA Podcast, recorded on June 25, 2026, host Adam Isacson speaks with Elijah Maurus, an attorney based in Tijuana who has worked principally with LGBTQ+ asylum seekers since 2018. Maurus relocated to Tijuana during the major migrant caravan that arrived in late 2018, initially working with Al Otro Lado before launching a pilot legal project dedicated to LGBT asylum seekers
Derechos LGBTIQ+ en el exilio: una conversación con Braulio Abarca
En este episodio de la serie del mes del Orgullo de Latin America Today, Maureen Meyer, vicepresidenta de Programas de WOLA, conversa con Braulio Abarca, activista LGBTIQ+ nicaragüense exiliado, defensor de derechos humanos, y cofundador del Colectivo Nicaragua Nunca Más, sobre lo que significa defender los derechos de las comunidades LGBTIQ+ desde el exilio. Desde 2018, más de 900 mil nicaragüens
Estructuras antiderechos: la lucha trans en Colombia y el mundo — con Renata Jank Vivas Antonelli
En este episodio especial del mes del Orgullo de Latin America Today, la presidenta de WOLA, Carolina Jiménez Sandoval, conversa con Renata Jank Vivas Antonelli, activista y defensora de derechos humanos de la Fundación Santamaría, una organización con sede en Cali, Colombia, que lleva dos décadas documentando la violencia, defendiendo derechos y construyendo poder para las comunidades trans. En C
"The Two Candidates Could Not Be More Different": Colombia's presidential vote
This episode examines the first round of Colombia's presidential election, which took place on May 31, 2026, and previews the June 21st runoff between two starkly different candidates. Gimena Sánchez-Garzoli, WOLA's director for Colombia and the Andes, provides deep insight into the candidates, voter concerns, and the election's implications for U.S.-Colombia relations. The first round produce
One Year Later: The Political Imprisonment of Ruth López in El Salvador
A year after the arrest of Salvadoran human rights lawyer and anti-corruption advocate Ruth Eleonora López Alfaro, WOLA's Latin America Today podcast revisits her case and the broader situation unfolding in El Salvador. Ruth López, who worked with the human rights organization Cristosal, was arrested on May 18, 2025, when police entered her home late at night. Since then, she has been held in de
Uncovering Operation Condor: a 50-Year Fight for Accountability
This episode marks the 50th anniversary of Operation Condor's assassination program, codenamed "Teseo" (Theseus). Condor was the coordinated campaign of state-sponsored terror carried out by U.S.-backed military dictatorships in South America during the 1970s and early 1980s. Our guest is Peter Kornbluh, director of the Cuba and Chile documentation projects at the National Security Archive, who ha
Polarization and Impunity: Peru's First-Round Presidential Election
This episode examines the aftermath of Peru's first-round presidential election held on April 12, 2025, recorded just five days later with results still not fully finalized. Host Adam Isacson speaks with Cynthia McClintock, a professor of Political Science and International Affairs at George Washington University who has studied Peruvian politics for over four decades. The conversation describes a
The All-Out Assault on Asylum
This episode examines the systematic dismantling of asylum protections in the United States under the Trump administration. Our guests are two attorney-advocates: Heather Hogan, Policy and Practice Counsel at the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), and Peter Habib, Staff Attorney at the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies (CGRS). Hogan and Habib emphasize that the United States has
"El camino duele, pero trae fortaleza": Un episodio especial por el Mes de la Mujer con Collette Spinetti, la primera secretaria de Estado trans del Uruguay
Por el Mes de la Mujer, estamos lanzando un episodio especial de Latin America Today con una conversación con Collette Spinetti — activista trans uruguaya, profesora de literatura y la primera mujer trans en ocupar un puesto de secretaria de Estado en Uruguay. En este episodio, Collette conversa con Carolina Jiménez Sandoval, Presidenta de WOLA, sobre lo que significa romper barreras históricas co
"Women, 'las buscadoras', have become a very strong reference for courage" | A Special Women's Month Conversation with Ana Lorena Delgadillo Pérez
For Women's Month, we're releasing a special episode of Latin America Today featuring a conversation with Ana Lorena Delgadillo Pérez — a Mexican human rights lawyer with over two decades of experience working on enforced disappearances, femicides, migrants' rights, and women's rights across Mexico and Central America. In this episode, Ana Lorena speaks with WOLA's Corie Welch about what the c
Oil and the Rule of Law in Venezuela
This episode assesses the "transition"—if that is the correct word—in Venezuela nine weeks after the January 3 U.S. military operation that extracted Nicolás Maduro. This conversation with Laura Dib, director of WOLA's Venezuela program, and Francisco Monaldi, director of the Latin American Energy Program at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy, focus particularly on the role of oil
"It's So Seamlessly Blended into the Regular Economy That It's Hard to Pull Out": Environmental Organized Crime, in Venezuela and Throughout the Americas
This episode features Mark Ungar, a professor of criminal justice and political science at Brooklyn College and the City University of New York. Ungar has written extensively on the rule of law, policing, and human rights in Latin America, and more recently has focused his research on environmental organized crime across the Amazon basin. Ungar notes that environmental organized crime—illegal gold
Don't Let Boat Strikes Fade Into the Background
This episode is a conversation with John Walsh, WOLA's director for Drug Policy and the Andes, about the ongoing U.S. military attacks on civilian boats in the Caribbean and Pacific Oceans. When Walsh and host Adam Isacson recorded this episode, on February 13, 2026, 35 attacks had killed at least 131 people since September 2, 2025—an average of four killings every five days—and another attack lat
U.S. Military Attacks Inside Colombia and Mexico: a Conversation We're Actually Having
Following the Trump administration's January 3, 2026 military operation in Venezuela and its lethal strikes on boats suspected of carrying drugs, its threats of unilateral U.S. military action inside Mexico and Colombia have taken on new urgency. WOLA's Gimena Sánchez-Garzoli and Stephanie Brewer join Adam Isacson to examine what such actions would mean for two of Washington's most important par
A Year Into the Trump Administration, "We Are in Untested Waters"
January 20, 2026 is the first anniversary of Donald Trump's second inauguration. As we pass this milestone, WOLA President Carolina Jiménez Sandoval and Vice President for Programs Maureen Meyer join Adam Isacson to take stock of a year that has fundamentally transformed U.S. policy toward Latin America—and not for the better. This episode is a companion of a review analysis that Meyer published
A Shocking U.S. Attack and "a Transition Without a Transition" in Venezuela
After midnight on January 3, 2026, the Trump administration bombed Venezuelan military sites and extracted the country's authoritarian leader, Nicolás Maduro. President Trump declared that the United States is now "running" Venezuela and emphasized access to its oil reserves. The rest of Maduro's government—the key political figures, the generals, the intelligence chiefs, the colectivos—remains in
Announcing Democracy&: A New Podcast From The Washington Office on Latin America
In this series from the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), prominent decision-makers from across the Americas—those who have been at the heart of democratic governance—share personal reflections and insights on the meaning, challenges, and future of democracy in the region. In each episode, members of the WOLA team sit down with a current or former political figure from the Americas to exp
Piercing the Propaganda Bubble in El Salvador
WOLA presents a new episode about El Salvador, coinciding with our awarding of our 2025 Human Rights Award to MOVIR, El Salvador's Movement of Victims of the Regime, which supports victims and families of arbitrary detentions carried out by President Nayib Bukele's government. In this conversation, Ricardo Valencia, assistant professor of public relations in the Department of Communications at Cal
The Grim Side of El Salvador's "Security Model"
A special episode as part of WOLA's 2025 Human Rights Awards Month President Nayib Bukele's government has jailed nearly 2 percent of El Salvador's entire population—the highest incarceration rate in the world. Still, because violence has dropped sharply, political figures across Latin America speak about emulating Bukele's "security model." But behind the videos of mega-prisons and tweets about p
U.S. drug policy takes a "radical" and "chilling" turn. Is Venezuela in the crosshairs?
Since late August, the Trump administration has sent a flotilla of U.S. warships to the southern Caribbean, in the largest naval display in the region in decades. On September 2, a U.S. drone strike sank a small boat near the Venezuelan coast, killing as many as eleven civilians. Administration officials allege the vessel carried cocaine, but have presented no evidence. In this WOLA Podcast episod
"We Are in the Middle of a New Family Separation Crisis"
Since January, the United States' migrant detention and deportation system, which was already troubled, has become increasingly opaque. Access to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities is restricted, internal oversight agencies have been hollowed out, and credible information about conditions inside is scarce. Yet reports that have emerged, some from those who have recently been depo
"Simultaneously juggling nine processes at once": Colombia's "Total Peace" plan and mounting security challenges
Nearly three years into President Gustavo Petro's term, his flagship "Total Peace" initiative is faltering. On this episode of the WOLA Podcast, Gimena Sánchez-Garzoli, WOLA's Director for the Andes, provides a sweeping overview of Colombia's peace and security reality.
Derechos y resistencia LGBTIQ+ en Latinoamérica: seis voces de la región
A Special Pride Month Episode This special Pride Month episode brings together the voices of six LGBTIQ+ activists from across Latin America—Mexico, Honduras, Colombia, Venezuela, and El Salvador—who share their experiences as leaders in the fight for equality and justice. Through their stories, we explore what Pride means in contexts of resistance, the state of LGBTIQ+ rights across the region, a
LGBTIQ+ Rights and Resistance in Latin America: Six Voices from the Region
This special Pride Month episode brings together the voices of six LGBTIQ+ activists from across Latin America—Mexico, Honduras, Colombia, Venezuela, and El Salvador—who share their experiences as leaders in the fight for equality and justice. Through their stories, we explore what Pride means in contexts of resistance, the state of LGBTIQ+ rights across the region, and the ongoing work to build m
LGBTQ+ Migrants in the Crosshairs: A Critical Conversation with Brigitte Baltazar Lujano
In the wake of escalating immigration enforcement targeting vulnerable migrant communities, this Pride Month episode brings essential perspective from the frontlines. We sit down with Brigitte Baltazar Lujano, a trans woman who herself experienced deportation and now leads critical advocacy and service work for LGBTQ+ migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border with the Tijuana and San Diego-based organiza
Global Drug Policy: "Countries are being freed up to actually speak their minds"
For the second year in a row, what had been an uneventful, consensus-driven United Nations meeting on drug policy saw unexpected drama and signs of real change. At the 68th session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) in Vienna in March 2025, governments approved the formation of an independent expert commission to recommend changes to the architecture of global drug policy, which has chan
Mujeres contra la corrupción y el autoritarismo: aprendiendo de El Salvador
**This podcast is in Spanish. Stay tuned for an English summary! Este Mes de la Mujer, en WOLA lanzamos una serie especial de nuestro podcast para amplificar voces feministas que luchan por los derechos humanos en América Latina. En nuestro último episodio, conversamos con Ruth López, directora del programa de anticorrupción en Cristosal, sobre su trabajo en la lucha contra la corrupción y el auto
The Alien Enemies Act
On March 15, 2025 President Donald Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 for only the fourth time in U.S. history. The target, this time, is citizens of Venezuela. His administration sent hundreds out of the country on the merest suspicion of ties to a criminal organization, the Tren de Aragua. In this explainer episode recorded on March 21, with help from WOLA's Venezuela Director Laura Dib
"Feminist Community Journalism Builds Hope": How Women Communicators in Guatemala and Colombia Are Defending Human Rights**
This Women's Month, WOLA launched a special podcast series to amplify feminist voices fighting for human rights in Latin America. Our second episode was our first-ever Spanish-language episode. Our president, Carolina Jiménez Sandoval, spoke with Quimy de León (Guatemala) and Sofía López Mera (Colombia), two feminist communicators and human rights defenders. We explored the crucial role of communi
"El periodismo comunitario feminista es esperanzador": Cómo comunicadoras en Guatemala y Colombia están defendiendo los derechos humanos
**This podcast is in Spanish. Stay tuned for an English summary! Este Mes de la Mujer, en WOLA lanzamos una serie especial de nuestro podcast para amplificar voces feministas que luchan por los derechos humanos en América Latina. En nuestro segundo episodio, hablamos sobre comunicación, defensa de derechos humanos y feminismo. En nuestro primer episodio en español, nuestra presidenta, Carolina Jim
"We need to aim to build feminism for democracy": WOLA's President reflects on International Women's Day and the importance of gender justice in human rights
To kick off our series for International Women's Month, we sat down with WOLA President Carolina Jiménez Sandoval to discuss gender justice in the Americas. In this episode of the WOLA Weekly Podcast, Carolina reflects on her decades of experience as a human rights advocate and the crucial role of feminist movements in defending democracy. As President of WOLA, Carolina has chosen to make gender j
Tariffs Won't Stop Fentanyl: Upending U.S.-Mexico relations for a failed drug-war model
In an expected but still stunning escalation, the Trump administration has imposed 25 percent tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada, citing cross-border flows of fentanyl as justification. The move has sent shockwaves through U.S.-Mexico and North American relations, rattling markets and generating a general outcry. In this episode, Stephanie Brewer, WOLA's director for Mexico, and John Walsh, W
"They Didn't Take Our Strength": The border under Trump, viewed from Nogales
In the five weeks since Donald Trump's inauguration, the landscape for migrants and asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border has shifted dramatically. The new administration is pursuing an aggressive crackdown on asylum seekers, closing legal pathways and ramping up deportations. Migrants who had secured appointments through the CBP One app under the Biden administration found those suddenly cance
Authoritarianism, Resistance, and Repression: What's Next for Venezuela?
The director of WOLA's Venezuela Program, Laura Dib, joins the podcast to discuss the political, human rights, and diplomatic reality following Nicolás Maduro's January 10 inauguration. Maduro's new term begins amid severe tensions, as he plainly lost July 28, 2024 presidential elections and has employed waves of repression, including rounding up and in some cases forcibly disappearing politica
From Promise to Pressure: Bernardo Arevalo's First Year in Power
In this podcast episode WOLA's Central America Director, Ana María Méndez Dardón, reflects on Bernardo Arevalo's first year in office, as January 14, 2025 marks one year since the inauguration that followed his unexpected election. As we discussed with Ana María in a podcast episode shortly after his inauguration, Bernardo Arevalo and his Semilla party had a very difficult time reaching inaugurat
The Work of Urban Peace Continues in Colombia, Despite Frustrations
WOLA's director for Colombia, Gimena Sánchez-Garzoli, is just back from taking a U.S. congressional delegation to Colombia. In addition to Bogotá, the group visited Cali and the Pacific Coast port of Buenaventura. The latter two cities are in the department of Valle del Cauca, Colombia's third most populous. Much of the population is Afro-descendant, and Buenaventura, on the coast is majority Blac
A Tariff Threat Foreshadows U.S.-Mexico Relations During the Second Trump Presidency
On November 25, President-Elect Donald Trump announced via social media that he would impose a 25 percent tariff on all imports from Mexico and Canada unless migration and fentanyl trafficking ceased entirely. The announcement caused widespread alarm, spurring a flurry of responses and an unclear conversation between Trump and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. The event was instructive about wh
What Trump's Return Means for Latin America
This episode was recorded three days after Donald Trump won the 2024 presidential election. It brings together WOLA's president, Carolina Jiménez Sandoval, Vice President for Programs Maureen Meyer, and Director for Defense Oversight Adam Isacson. Together, they possess a combined seven decades of experience working on human rights, democracy, and U.S. policy toward Latin America. All worked
Mexico's Constitutional Reforms: a Setback for Checks and Balances
In September 2024, Mexico's legislature quickly approved a series of constitutional reforms at the behest of outgoing president Andrés Manuel López Obrador. The revisions, among other things, fundamentally change the nature of the country's judiciary and fundamentally and permanently change the role of the armed forces in public security. Under the overhaul of Mexico's judiciary, citizens will now
Reimagining the Drug War Amid Rising Coca Cultivation in Central America
This podcast episode features Kendra McSweeney and Fritz Pinnow, part of a team investigating a new trend: the emergence of coca cultivation in Central America. McSweeney, a professor of geography at Ohio State University, has research human-environment interactions, cultural and political ecology, conservation and development, resilience, demography, and land use/cover change. Pinnow is a Hondura
"This Is Not Hollywood, This Is Real Life": three weeks after Venezuela's July election
WOLA's President Carolina Jimenez Sandoval is joined by Laura Cristina Dib, WOLA's director for Venezuela to discuss the state of Venezuela since Nicolás Maduro's self proclaimed and highly contested July 28 electoral victory. This is a continuation of WOLA's July 30 podcast, "The Scrutiny Should Be Public to All Citizens:" the aftermath of Venezuela's July election, with Laura Dib. Carolina and
"The Scrutiny Should Be Public to All Citizens:" the aftermath of Venezuela's July election
On July 28, 2024, Venezuela held a long-awaited presidential election. More than 25 years after Hugo Chávez was first elected, his successor, Nicolas Maduro, ran for a third term. The opposition coalesced around a candidate; despite many obstacles, the opposition had a big enthusiasm advantage, and turnout on July 28th was very high. In the end, though, Venezuela's national elections authority dec
A Groundbreaking 'Win' at the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs
On March 14-22, 2024, the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) held its 67th annual session in Vienna, Austria. The session saw a landmark vote that may have important repercussions for drug policy, in Latin America and elsewhere. The commission approved a U.S.-led resolution encouraging countries to implement "harm reduction" measures to respond to drug overdoses and to protect public
Flooding the Zone: the "Bukele Model," Security and Democracy in El Salvador
El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele just won re-election by a broad margin as a massive security crackdown has reduced gangs' role in everyday life. But the increasingly authoritarian "Bukele model" has a big long-term downside, Douglas Farah explains. --- It has been almost a month since Nayib Bukele was reelected as President of El Salvador by a very wide margin, despite a constitutional prohib
Violence in Ecuador: Getting Beyond Stopgap Solutions
A January outbreak of criminal violence in Ecuador made headlines worldwide. Now, a new government is cracking down in ways that recall other countries' "mano dura" policies, and the U.S. government stands ready to help. Is this the right way forward? While this isn't the first time Ecuador's government has declared a state of exception, the prominence of organized crime and the consequential ri
A New Chapter in Guatemala's Anti-Corruption Struggle
After relentless attempts to block his inauguration and a nine-hour delay, Bernardo Arévalo, who ran for Guatemala's presidency on an anti-corruption platform, was sworn into office minutes after midnight on January 14. In this highly educational episode, WOLA Director for Central America Ana María Méndez Dardón is joined by WOLA Senior Fellow Jo-Marie Burt. Both were in Guatemala witnessing the h
Understanding Regional Migration in an Election Year
As congressional negotiations place asylum and other legal protection pathways at risk, and as we approach a 2024 election year with migration becoming a higher priority for voters in the United States, we found it important to discuss the current moment's complexities. WOLA's vice president for Programs, Maureen Meyer, former director for WOLA's Mexico Program and co-founder of WOLA's migration a
Taking Stock After a Tumultuous Year in the Americas: A Conversation with Carolina Jiménez Sandoval
A conversation with WOLA's President, Carolina Jiménez Sandoval, about the year ahead. She discusses current challenges in the Americas within four areas that are orienting WOLA's current work: democracy, migration, climate, and gender and racial justice.
Planning, Unity, and Discipline: the Keys to Non-Violent Social Change in the Americas
Maria Belén Garrido, a research lecturer at the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador, and Jeffrey Pugh, an associate professor at the University of Massachusetts Boston, lead the Regional Institute for the Study and Practice of Strategic Nonviolent Action in the Americas. The institute provides training, capacity building, and networking opportunities for nonviolent social change activists i
Mexico: "Demilitarization is not going to happen from one day to the next. But there needs to be that commitment"
A new report from WOLA dives deeply into the growing power and roles of Mexico's military, and what that means for human rights, democracy, and U.S.-Mexico relations. WOLA's Mexico Program published Militarized Transformation: Human Rights and Democratic Controls in a Context of Increasing Militarization in Mexico on September 6. The report voices alarm about the Mexican armed forces' growing lis
Venezuela: "The way out of this situation has to be through a democratic and peaceful solution"
Venezuela is to hold presidential elections sometime in 2024. Whether they will be at least somewhat free and fair, moving the country away from authoritarianism and toward democracy, is unlikely but far from impossible. It is a goal that must guide the international community and Venezuelan civil society. That is one of the central messages of Laura Cristina Dib, WOLA's director for Venezuela, wh
Advocacy for Migrants at a Challenging Time: The View from Mexico
Gretchen Kuhner directs the Mexico City-based Institute for Women in Migration (IMUMI). She explains the challenges and complexities—and occasional advocacy successes—of the current moment of record migration and changing policies, viewed from Mexico.
Good Governance Needs Good Data: the Central America Monitor Looks Ahead
Joining WOLA with partners in three countries, the Central America Monitor has tracked governance indicators during a very difficult nine years. WOLA's Elizabeth Kennedy and Lisette Vásquez of the Myrna Mack Foundation explain this important work.
Fentanyl: "What sounds tough isn't necessarily a serious policy"
From a traditional drug policy perspective, fentanyl would appear to be an intractable problem. It also threatens a rift in the U.S.-Mexico relationship. WOLA's John Walsh and Stephanie Brewer point to better ways to respond to this challenge.
"We can't deter our way out of this": a view from the Honduras-Nicaragua border
WOLA staff report from Honduras after a visit to the border with Nicaragua, where we witnessed a historic migration flow. As government and service providers struggle to manage this result of a series of policy failures, it's not clear what lies ahead.
"The days of hoping for a magical solution are long gone": Geoff Ramsey on Venezuela
A conversation about the political and humanitarian moment in Venezuela, efforts to resolve the country's crisis, and the U.S. role, with Geoff Ramsey, who recently departed WOLA's Venezuela Program and is now a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council.
Guatemala: An Eroding Democracy Approaches New Elections
Guatemala's deteriorating democracy is approaching June elections with disqualified candidates, imprisoned or exiled judicial workers and journalists, and a U.S. policy that's hard to pin down. Analysis from WOLA Central America Program Director Ana María Méndez and Council on Foreign Relations Latin America Fellow Will Freeman.
Peru's Turmoil and "the Danger of a Much Deeper Crisis"
December 2022 in Peru has seen a president's failed attempt to dissolve Congress and subsequent jailing, and now large-scale protests met with a military crackdown. Senior Fellow Jo-Marie Burt explains what's at stake in a deeply divided nation.
Unprotected at the U.S.-Mexico Border: Reporting Back from Texas and Arizona
WOLA staff spent a mid-November week visiting several points along the U.S.-Mexico border. We spoke to many migrants stranded in Mexico, in shelters and in rustic camps, unable to seek protection in the United States. What will happen if and when Title 42 ends?
Mexico Sends in the Troops: Stephanie Brewer on the Militarization of Public Security
Mexico has been increasing its armed forces' role in public security for many years, but the government of Andrés Manuel López Obrador has just taken it to historic new lengths. WOLA's Mexico Program director, Stephanie Brewer, explains.
"What happens with the Petro government could become a model for engaging with the region"
WOLA's director for the Andes, Gimena Sánchez, was in Colombia during the historic June 19 election that sent Gustavo Petro and Francia Márquez to the presidency and vice-presidency. We discuss this victory's significance and the big challenges ahead.
Migration and the Summit of the Americas
Adam, Stephanie Brewer, Maureen Meyer, and Lesly Tejada discuss regional migration and the Summit of the Americas, which took place Los Angeles earlier in June. The four analyze the political implications of the Summit and their recent travel to the border areas.
"We believe there are multiple armed conflicts": Kyle Johnson on security in Colombia
Recent violence in the northeastern region of Arauca shows the complicated, fragmented nature of Colombia's armed conflict—or "conflicts," as security analyst Kyle Johnson calls it in this clear, nuanced explanation of security challenges in early 2022.
Is Mexico Prepared to be a Country of Refuge?
More than 120,000 migrants have applied for protection in Mexico in 2021. We discuss Mexico's difficult transition to being a country of refuge with Gretchen Kuhner of IMUMI, Daniel Berlin of Asylum Access Mexico, and Maureen Meyer and Stephanie Brewer of WOLA.
Colombia's peace accord at five years
Colombia's government and largest guerrilla group signed a historic peace accord on November 24, 2016. Five years later, is it being implemented? Not enough. WOLA Director for the Andes Gimena Sánchez walks us through what is going well and what is not.
Missing in Brooks County: A tragic outcome of U.S. border and migration policy
Lisa Molomot and Jeff Bemiss have produced a new documentary, "Missing in Brooks County," about thousands of migrants dying in ranchland surrounding a south Texas Border Patrol checkpoint. They are joined by Texas State U. anthropologist Kate Spradley.
A Conversation with WOLA's New President, Carolina Jiménez Sandoval
As of September 1, WOLA has new president. Carolina Jiménez has an impressive biography—and here, we talk about her work, how civil society has evolved throughout Latin America, the threat of authoritarianism, opportunities in US policy, and her next steps.
For Disappearances to End, Justice Must Begin: Justice for Disappeared Mexicans
In this conversation, Adam and Stephanie discuss how Mexico's disappearance crisis grew to today's tragic scale, what has worked and has not worked for investigations into disappearances in the country, and some of the major findings of the WOLA's campaign on the issue. Please visit the campaign's website to see the in-depth findings and learn what you can do to support victims and family members
A Goodbye to WOLA President Geoff Thale
Geoff Thale, WOLA's president, has retired after 40 years as an advocate for human rights in Latin America. When Geoff's career began, the idea of citizens working full-time to change foreign policy was unheard of. Geoff reflects on how much has changed.
Addressing Cuba's Unseen Humanitarian Disaster
Last month's protests in Cuba captured international attention for the large groups that took to the street to express frustration with the island's current conditions. This week's podcast discusses the protests triggers, the island's ongoing humanitarian disaster, and what, if anything, the Biden administration can do to help the Cuban people.
Colombia After the Paro Nacional: A Report Back From Cali
Lisa Haugaard, director of the Latin America Working Group, is just back from accompanying a human rights delegation to Cali, Colombia, an epicenter of April-June protests. She conveys what witnesses told her about police brutality and new civic energy.
A New Wave of Political Unrest in Haiti
For those closely following Haiti, the recent assassination of President Jovenel Moïse and the chaos and political uncertainty following it have been years in the making, in a country tragically familiar with political and humanitarian crises.
Aligning Policy with Reality at the U.S.-Mexico Border
Former WOLA Director Joy Olson just carried out dozens of interviews along the Texas-Mexico border. She came back saddened by expelled migrants' suffering, perplexed by the Biden administration's halting measures, and calling for bold policy changes.
Nicaragua's Exit from Democracy
The condition of Nicaragua's democracy has steadily deteriorated over the course of President Daniel Ortega's regime. Recently, in anticipation of the country's coming elections, President Ortega and his wife/Vice President Rosario Murillo have arrested more than a dozen of their significant political opponents under a new law that labels them as "traitors to the homeland." To understand the curre
What's at Stake in Peru's Coming Elections
Peruvians vote on June 6 in a runoff between two presidential candidates who represent populist extremes, and who reflect growing divisions exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. WOLA Senior Fellow Jo-Marie Burt explains the tense pre-election moment.
A Snapshot of Human Rights and Democracy in Brazil
Brazil is the second largest country in the hemisphere but its many complex issues rarely make news in the U.S. This week, Camila Asano, Director of Programs at the Brazilian human rights NGO Conectas joins Adam and Moses to paint a picture of attacks on human rights and democracy there.
Understanding Colombia's Latest Wave of Social Protest
Protests that began April 28 in Colombia are maintaining momentum and a broad base, despite a heavy-handed government response. Gimena Sánchez-Garzoli, WOLA's director for the Andes, sees a movement coalescing—and a need for a more decisive U.S. approach.
The Complexity of Engaging with Central America
Top Biden administration officials, including Vice-President Kamala Harris, are developing a new approach to Central America. The theme is familiar: addressing migration's "root causes." WOLA President Geoff Thale and Citizen Security Director Adriana Beltrán discuss.
The Border Situation Viewed from Mexico
The Biden administration is asking Mexico to do more to limit or stop arrivals of asylum-seeking migrants from Central America and elsewhere. Several WOLA experts discuss Mexico's military deployments, expulsions of families, and the view from El Paso.
"People coming from the Western Hemisphere have been perceived as inherently not refugees"
Yael Shacher, senior U.S. advocate at Refugees International, is a historian of U.S. asylum policy. She offers an invaluable perspective on the current increase in asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border, and how the system should work.
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