** Latin America in Review:
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This past month saw Vice President Kamala Harris visit Guatemala, Mexico, ​and the U.S.-Mexico border, ​after the Biden administration tapped her to lead efforts to address the root causes of migration in the region. The trips resulted in promising outcomes, but in the short and medium term, additional actions are urgently needed to break the cycle of counterproductive border crackdowns, fully restore protections for migrants, and increase access to asylum across the region.

You can also learn more about our latest work by visiting our website ([link removed]) and following us on social media.
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** Our Partners in Action
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** Civil society groups call attention to how UN, EU can help promote free and fair elections in Venezuela
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A coalition of Venezuelan civil society organizations laid out how international bodies like the European Union and United Nations can provide support (such as electoral observers and other logistical assistance), so that Venezuela can recover the means to hold genuine elections.

Watch the event here ([link removed]) .

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** U.S. actor Kendrick Sampson pens op-ed calling for solidarity with Afro-Colombian and Indigenous social leaders
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The Black Lives Matter activist and co-founder of the advocacy organization BLD PWR ([link removed]) described his own traumatizing experience with police brutality in Colombia and called on the international community to support the work and protect the lives of social leaders in Colombia, who, across the country’s diverse geography, are fighting for transformative change.

Read the op-ed here ([link removed]) .


** WOLA in Action
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** Recent Podcasts
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** More From Our Experts
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PERU ELECTIONS: After June 6 Elections, Peru’s Democracy Hangs in the Balance ([link removed])

MIGRATION & BORDER SECURITY: Resources for Understanding What’s Happening at the U.S.-Mexico Border ([link removed])

CUBA SANCTIONS: U.S. Vote at U.N. Maintains Trump Policy as U.N. Votes to Condemn Sanctions on Cuba ([link removed])

DRUG WAR EVENT SERIES: Decades of Damage: The Drug War Catastrophe in Latin America and the Caribbean ([link removed])

ADDRESSING THE ROOT CAUSES OF MIGRATION: Central America Trips Shed Light on Biden Administration’s Migration Agenda ([link removed])


** WOLA in the News
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"On the campaign trail, Biden criticized Trump for prioritizing tough rhetoric over a realistic strategy. Now's the time for the administration to implement a smart strategy that combines targeted pressure with smart engagement in a way that can actually make progress,” - Geoff Ramsey, Director for Venezuela, in France 24 ([link removed]) .

“The only way Colombia is gonna listen is if it fears having its aid cut off or frozen... The only way you’re gonna get police reform is if the United States steps in, because Colombia hasn’t listened to the UN or the OAS. If you want to push Colombia to stop the violence, you need U.S. involvement.”- Gimena Sánchez-Garzoli, Director for the Andes, in Al Jazeera ([link removed]) .

"Jo-Marie Burt, an analyst at the Washington Office on Latin America, which studies human rights, described the events as a “slow-motion coup.” - in Bloomberg ([link removed])

“We’re seeing a very troubling tendency from the Biden administration to repeat the same flawed logic of the Trump administration [on migration],” - Stephanie Brewer, Director for Mexico, in The ([link removed]) Intercept ([link removed]) .

“El Paso has an incredibly rich civil society, with many organizations and experts who've done decades of work on asylum, holding Border Patrol accountable, rescuing migrants in danger and caring for asylum seekers. They have a lot of constructive things to say about what a better border security and migration policy would look like." - Adam Isacson, Director for Defense Oversight, in the S ([link removed]) an Diego Tribune ([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]) .

Stay updated on the Con Líderes Hay Paz ([link removed]) campaign by signing up ([link removed]) for our campaign newsletters or follow the #ConLíderesHayPaz hashtag on social media.


** Upcoming Events
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Join us for the inaugural event of a six-part webinar series: Decades of Damage Done: The Drug War Catastrophe in Latin America and the Caribbean ([link removed])

The Catastrophe of Prohibition and the ‘War on Drugs’ in Latin America and the Caribbean
10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. EST Thursday, July 15, 2021
Register here ([link removed])

View all upcoming and past events hosted by WOLA on our website or by subscribing to our newsletter.
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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