Dear John,

This week, my colleague John Walsh and I had the opportunity to participate in a powerful and deeply meaningful delegation here in Washington, D.C., organized by WOLA, Win Without War, and the Drug Policy Alliance. Over the course of the two-day delegation, which included 26 meetings in the Senate and House of Representatives as well as a public panel event, policymakers heard from those most impacted by the fentanyl crisis: parents who have lost children to drug overdoses or whose children are struggling with addiction. Their message was clear: what’s needed is a compassionate, evidence-based, public health–centered approach, not more punitive policies that fail to save lives.

Together, we also emphasized the need for a shift in how the United States engages with Mexico on this issue. We raised deep concerns about the Trump administration’s threats of military force as a purported way to address fentanyl trafficking. These kinds of policies not only fail to reduce drug-related harm, they also fuel violence and human rights violations. At WOLA, we have always supported approaches grounded in human rights, harm reduction, and common sense. 

I also published an article on Mexico’s upcoming judicial elections, scheduled for June 1. In the piece, I break down what’s at stake and share our concerns for the future of judicial independence in Mexico.

This kind of work—building bridges across borders to advocate for rights-based, democratic solutions—is what inspires us every day.

Thank you for standing with us.

Stephanie Brewer

Director for Mexico

For human rights activists across Latin America right now, the stakes are high. Violence around elections is on the rise, as are threats against those who speak in favor of justice and accountability.

Your support of WOLA creates space to amplify the voices of those who put their life on the line to champion human rights; from Caracas, to San Salvador, and everywhere in between.

"Rather than fixing the wait [for asylum hearings] by hiring more judges and asylum officers at a fraction of the cost of what they’re proposing to spend on border security, they’re just trying to stop the system entirely. We seem to be headed back to how things were before 1945, and it’s happening at a time when the number of people fleeing insecurity and other threats is pretty much the highest it’s been in about fifty years.”

Adam Isacson

Director for Defense Oversight

– The New Yorker, Is Asylum Still Possible?

“We’re going to see more [Venezuelan migrants] leaving Colombia, because if there aren’t resources to integrate the population, then how do they stay?”

Laura Dib

Director for Venezuela

– Foreign Policy, Trump’s Aid Freeze Is Undermining His Immigration Policy

"The former commissioner remains unpunished in his responsibility after the death of these migrants [in the 2023 fire at a migrant detention center in Ciudad Juárez]. We have yet to see a commitment that, at the very least, security and migration agents will not violate migrants' rights." This article is in Spanish.

Maureen Meyer

Vice President for Programs

– El Espectador, Trump decide y Sheinbaum reacciona: la migración entre México y Estados Unidos

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