[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.

"[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.

"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)

"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. 

"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.

“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.