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In the context of what may be the end of Title 42 next week, WOLA recently visited the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juárez, where I and other members of the team interviewed asylum seekers, mainly from Venezuela, Mexico, and Central America. These people found themselves blocked, stranded, or expelled under Title 42 at the U.S. border after a long and dangerous journey fleeing violence and life-threatening conditions at home. The urgent protection needs of the families and individuals we interviewed exemplify the reality of millions of migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees throughout the world, as we recall this December 18, International Migrants Day.

This week we have also been closely following the political and social crises developing in Peru, where we called for an urgent visit by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. We also participated in a joint statement calling for a renewed and strengthened resolution on Nicaragua by the UN Human Rights Council to address the various human rights crises there, published a commentary about how the U.S. can continue supporting the dialogues in Venezuela, analyzed the use of electronic monitoring as an alternative to prison in Latin America, and emphasized the importance of the election of an independent Supreme Court in Honduras to support the fight against corruption. 

Best,

Stephanie Brewer, WOLA

Director for Mexico

• 🇺🇸 🇨🇺 In 2022 the Biden administration finally took steps that can lay the groundwork for future movement on U.S.-Cuba relations. What is yet to happen, however, is the enactment of a robust policy of engagement and the implementation of measures that can foster sustainable change in the island. Read our commentary to learn more. 
• ⚖️ Read our recent joint statement with over 30 NGOs calling on all governments to support a resolution on Nicaragua at the next session of the Human Rights Council, and reinforce its intersectional approach, by bringing particular attention to the situation of Indigenous peoples, afro-descendants, migrants and forcibly displaced persons as well as those detained for political reasons and the families of victims of human rights violations.
• 🇵🇪 WOLA joined national and international organizations calling for a joint visit by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in response to serious concerns of human rights violations in the context of the state of emergency declared in the country. Read more here.
• ⚠️ Electronic monitoring is becoming a popular alternative to incarceration across the world. But the experience of those impacted by its use widely differs depending on the resources (human, social and financial) at their disposal. Read this recent commentary
• 🇻🇪 As negotiations between the Venezuelan government and the opposition resume, the Biden administration has an opportunity to support substantial agreements that can address the country’s human rights and humanitarian crises. Learn more in an analysis published in Responsible Statecraft.
• 🇭🇳 Before the installation of the CICIH, the Honduran state must first guarantee the election of an independent Supreme Court of Justice, capable of shaking off the accusations of the past, purging the judiciary of the illicit networks that have co-opted it, and leading a process of reform in an efficient and timely manner. Read our latest commentary.

WOLA staff visited the U.S-Mexico border between El Paso, Texas and Yuma, Arizona between November 13-19. They documented conditions on both sides of the border and spoke with migrants, asylum seekers, service providers, and other stakeholders. The visit came a month after the Biden administration expanded the application of Title 42 to expel Venezuelan migrants into Mexico and coincided with a federal judge’s decision to strike down the use of Title 42.

In April 2022, WOLA launched its one-of-kind Border Oversight Database, which documents hundreds of reports of human rights violations and abuses against migrants and asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border. 

Jo-Marie Burt

Senior Fellow

“Like a lot of Peru’s recent presidents, none have been able to fulfill the normal five-year mandate, revealing the profound instability and exhaustion of the current political system.“

Al Jazeera

WOLA seeks an Assistant Director for Institutional Partnerships to join our fast-paced and dynamic development team. This creative team works to increase and expand the philanthropic partnerships that make WOLA’s human rights advocacy possible. Learn more here.

WOLA seeks a Development Assistant to support our development team. They should be interested in learning more about development and fundraising and thrive with multitasking. Learn more here.

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