** Latin America in Review:
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The Trump administration's cruel and illegal shutdown of asylum at the U.S. southern border led to massive numbers of people stuck in Mexican border towns, with no orderly way of seeking protection in the United States. Alongside the ongoing crises in Central America, this has inevitably led to increased numbers of people crossing the border, with U.S. agencies rushing to build capacity to deal with the reality of this increased child-and-family migration. Meanwhile, human rights groups including WOLA are warning that ​Mexico's militarized crackdown on migrants at its southern border could have grave human rights consequences, as it has in the past. Elsewhere, Colombia's civil society is urging the Biden administration to emphasize the dire need for the Colombian government to fully implement the 2016 peace accords, as Afro-Colombian and Indigenous communities continue to experience targeted violence.

Learn more about our latest work by visiting our website ([link removed]) and following us on social media.


** Our Latest Campaign: Con Líderes Hay Paz
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Social leaders often face off with a Colombian government that refuses to admit its failures, and they stand up to armed groups terrorizing their communities. Hundreds of them have been killed, yet they persist. In this new podcast series, you will hear why directly from four of them.

All four English episodes of REBUILDING PEACE are now available on your preferred podcast platform. You can also listen on our website ([link removed]) , and stay tuned for the Spanish episodes as they roll out this month.

[link removed] Listen on Spotify ([link removed])


** Our Partners in Action
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** Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) public hearing on women deprived of liberty during COVID-19
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Since the release of an April 2020 IACHR resolution on human rights during the pandemic, governments in the region have failed to implement recommendations for populations in prison. In response, WOLA and partner organizations in Latin America expressed our concerns to the IACHR about the situation of women deprived of liberty during the health emergency.

Watch the hearing here ([link removed]) (Spanish).


** Video series on Colombia's Temporary Protected Statute for Venezuelan migrants
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Dejusticia has produced a series of short Spanish videos on social media, highlighting the shortcomings of Colombia's decree to regularize 1.8 million Venezuelan migrants, including topics like the lack of presumption of innocence ([link removed]) and unnecessary collection of biometrics ([link removed]) ; another video serves as an explainer for Venezuelan migrants/refugees ([link removed]) .

Follow Dejusticia on Twitter ([link removed]) for more.


** WOLA in Action
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Following the emergence of a new coalition known as "Foro Cívico," civil society ​organizations across Venezuela are calling for a peaceful, democratic solution to the country's crisis. Key to this will be establishing an impartial electoral authority. Academic Maryhen Jiménez joins The Venezuela Briefing to discuss these efforts in the historical and comparative context. Listen here ([link removed]) .

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** From Our Experts
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MIGRATION AND BORDER SECURITY: Mexico’s Militarized Migration Crackdown Places Asylum Seekers, Migrants at Risk ([link removed])

HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE CARIBBEAN: Concern Over Initiative to Build a Border Wall between the Dominican Republic and Haiti ([link removed])

BRAZIL: U.S. and Brazil Relations Regarding Migration Issues ([link removed])

HUMAN RIGHTS IN MEXICO: Members of Congress Urge Support for Human Rights in Mexico in Letter to Secretary Blinken ([link removed])

A PEACEAFUL, DEMOCRATIC SOLUTION TO VENEZUELA'S CRISIS: Venezuelan Civil Society Presents Electoral Council Candidates ([link removed])

PEACE IN COLOMBIA: Civil Society Groups Urge Biden Administration to Emphasize Upholding Colombia’s Peace Accords ([link removed])

RULE OF LAW IN EL SALVADOR: After El Salvador’s Legislative Elections, Government Must Respect Rule of Law and Separation of Powers ([link removed])


** WOLA in the News
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[On Mexico approving a bill on cannabis legalization] "[For] Mexico, given its size and its worldwide reputation for being damaged by the drug war, to take this step is enormously significant... North America is heading toward legalization.” - John Walsh, Director for Drug Policy, in the New York Times. ([link removed])

"[Mexico’s crackdown and restrictions] are clear signs that the Mexican government has once again embraced its role as a virtual wall for the United States at the expense of vulnerable migrants... As both countries seek to limit the number of migrants arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border, they disregard the fact that lives are at risk." - Maureen Meyer, Vice President for Programs, in the Dallas Morning News. ([link removed])

"A couple of years ago, researchers with the Washington Office on Latin America traveled to all three countries to interview potential migrants. They found stories of gang violence, police brutality, domestic abuse, extortion, rape and poverty. “The reality for many victims of crime of relatives of those who have been violently killed is that they have nowhere to turn for help or for protection."" - Adriana Beltrán, Director for Citizen Security, in the Washington Post (op-ed) ([link removed])

"Impunity in LGBT cases is rampant and violent actors take advantage of that… in areas of acute insecurity [LGBT individuals] are often used as examples by illegal armed groups when they seek to establish dominance. LGBT people face tremendous security challenges in many parts of Colombia because in spite of legal advances a major cultural shift has not occurred." - Gimena Sánchez-Garzoli, Director for the Andes, in Al Jazeera. ([link removed])

"Adam Isacson, an analyst at the human rights advocacy group Washington Office on Latin America, said Republicans’ insistence that there is a “crisis” at the border is overwrought, but that the surge in migrants was predictable." - Adam Isacson, Director for Defense Oversight, in the Associated Press ([link removed]) .

“Many of the jobs with the worst labour rights violations are held primarily by Afro-Colombians... [when I lobby] for political protection for human rights defenders, the authorities are more suspicious of the claims of Afro-Colombian leaders.” - Gimena Sánchez-Garzoli, Director for the Andes, in the New Humanitarian. ([link removed])


** WOLA Campaign Updates
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Visit the Central America Monitor website ([link removed]) for updated data and new reports.

Sign up here ([link removed]) for weekly border and migration updates from our experts. Read our past updates here ([link removed]) .


** Upcoming Events
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“None of the Above”: Peru’s Fragmented Politics and the April 11 Elections
3:00 p.m. - 4:15 p.m. EST Tuesday, April 6, 2021
Register here ([link removed])

Report Launch: Defending Human Rights in Venezuela
12:00 p.m. EST Wednesday, April 7, 2021
Register here ([link removed])

Civil Society in Colombia’s Catatumbo Region Demand a Humanitarian Accord, Not Militarization
10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. EST Wednesday, April 7, 2021
Register here ([link removed])

64th Commission on Narcotic Drugs Side Event Shifting the Needle: The Impact of Global Drug Policy on Women
8:10 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. EDT
2:10 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. CET
Tuesday, April 13, 2021
Register here ([link removed])
All Events ([link removed])
Ways to give ([link removed])
Contact:
Gabriela Sibori
Communications Associate
+1 (202) 797-2171
[email protected] (mailto:[email protected])

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