Dear John,

I just returned from a 10-day journey that took me from Honduras to the U.S. southern border, following the paths that many people take when they're deported from the United States. We know that migrants are being abused and mistreated when in the custody of ICE, CBP, and their contractors, but that system has become a black box: it is very hard to get information about what’s happening inside detention facilities and along the deportation route. The grim truth is that it is now easier to learn about how people were treated in the United States after they are deported from the United States. As a result, WOLA partnered with the Women's Refugee Commission to go directly to where people are being sent—to get answers and document what is happening.

Even the preliminary information that we found was deeply alarming. There are now hundreds of cases of parents deported without their U.S. citizen children, separated from them without a chance to choose whether to bring them. We heard of inadequate care leaving babies malnourished and mothers arriving "with hardly any milk," and thousands of dollars in cash and valuables that simply disappear after arrest. Trans women described detention as "a nightmare," forced to shower with men, while courthouse arrests in El Paso now function as a "dragnet" separating families and detaining pregnant and elderly migrants. Throughout our trip, we released four dispatches from Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico, and the border and recorded a podcast breaking down our findings.

During these 10 days I was constantly reminded why I'm grateful to work at an organization like WOLA—where we can listen to people, honor their stories and dignity, and sound alarms with communications based on credible, rigorous research and on-the-ground documentation. 

It was harrowing to hear so many firsthand and second-hand testimonies of horrors being committed right now, by the U.S. government, on U.S. soil., Yet I didn’t return full of despair: there was also hope. In each country we visited, we met with fighters: from nuns to attorneys to journalists to experts to shelter operators to advocates, we spent time with dozens of incredible people and organizations in the region that refuse to give up the fight for dignity and rights. WOLA stands with them in that fight, and for us, it begins with visibility—bringing these stories into the light where they can't be ignored.

Stay tuned for our full report and, hopefully, more research and testimonies to come as we continue working to ensure that our immigration policies’ human consequences are made known and met with accountability.

Sincerely, 

Adam Isacson

Director for Defense Oversight

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.

“On the other hand, the political and ideological alliance established by both governments allows Bukele’s openly anti-democratic acts and violations of human rights to be met with silence (i.e., tacitly permitted) or, conversely, to be publicly endorsed almost immediately by the US government.” This article is in Spanish.

Carolina Jiménez Sandoval

President

– CNN Español, Sin obstáculos para ser reelegido presidente de El Salvador, Bukele avanza bajo la sombra de Trump

“Peru is now a pariah state from the point of view of international law. It puts Peru on the same level as Venezuela and Nicaragua for their outright disregard for the rulings of the inter-American court and of international law more generally."

Jo-Marie Burt

Senior Fellow

– The Guardian, Peru enacts amnesty for military and police accused of human rights abuses

“This is where years of gradual constitutional manipulation lead to the dismantling of democracy. By capturing institutions, silencing critics, and rewriting the Constitution, he has created an authoritarian electoral system.” This article is in Spanish.

WOLA

– RCN, Nayib Bukele: ¿Cómo logró tener tanto poder en tiempo récord en El Salvador?

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