President Obama has requested $3.7 billion in emergency funding to cope with the humanitarian crisis along our southern border, which has been besieged by a surge in unaccompanied minors and thousands more trying to enter the United States from Central America through Mexico. Clearly, the administration is scrambling to undo the damage caused in part by its own rhetoric and unilateral actions on immigration that, whether intentional or not, sent the calamitous message to desperate families...

Competition between criminal groups over drug routes has made the frontier between Guatemala and Honduras one of the most violent areas in Central America, with murder rates among the highest in the world. In the absence of effective law enforcement, traffickers have become de facto authorities in some sectors. Crisis Group’s latest report, , examines the regional dynamics that have allowed criminal gangs to thrive and outlines the main steps necessary to prevent further violence as well...

HUMAN RIGHTS Watch’s paints a somber picture of political life in Cuba. “The Cuban government continues to repress individuals and groups who criticize the government or call for basic human rights,” the report notes. “The government controls all media outlets in Cuba and tightly restricts access to outside information, severely limiting the right to freedom of expression. Only a tiny fraction of Cubans are able to read independent websites and blogs because of the high...

Last week, Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro took to the opinion pages of The New York Times to counter the bad press his government has received for its crackdown on widespread protests over the past two months. He the international media of having “distorted the reality” of Venezuela by portraying the protests as peaceful and the country’s democracy as “deficient.” Yet the steps he’s taken to respond to the protests at home have shown that the...

CNN’s Wolf Blitzer: “Let’s talk about Venezuela right now. You know that the President of Venezuela, he had some sharp words for you. He called you, and I’m translating from the Spanish, ‘the craziest of the crazies,’ because of your views on what’s going on in Venezuela right now. What should the U.S. be doing in Venezuela?” Senator Marco Rubio: “First of all, let me just say about this individual, Mr. Maduro, he’s someone who...

Political confrontation in Venezuela has turned violent in the past few days with the killing of six demonstrators, the injury of many more and a clampdown on civil liberties. This threatens to further erode stability and human rights in an already polarised nation facing acute economic crisis and where the homicide rate is one of the highest on earth. The government and the opposition must promptly find a way to foster a basic political dialogue. Ultimately, this dialogue - on the...

This business has not changed for good. On the contrary, in 2013 NGO Citizen Action against AIDS (Accsi) drafted a report relying on surveys that showed -at least partially- the handful of degrading actions undergone by sexually diverse people from police agents and almost nil formal logging of related claims. In 2008, another report, containing a larger number of interviewees, delved into the matter and showed an even worse scenario marked by impunity. Now, a new survey gives a clue on a...

Despite social and economic advances in the last two decades, Latin America is still the most unequal-and the most insecure region in the world. The Human Development Report for Latin America reveals new data on how crime and violence impact the region, highlighting a series of policy recommendations to effectively improve citizen security. "Due to its objectivity and sound analysis, as well as the relevance of its...

In December 2012, newly installed President Enrique Pena Nieto promised to switch the focus of Mexico's drug wars from tackling the gang leaders to reducing the crime and violence that affect the lives of Mexicans. What is the scale of the violence? Official figures have been issued only sporadically. Most estimates put the number of people killed in drug-related violence since late 2006 at more than 60,000. Although there is no official breakdown of the numbers, the victims include...

A border metropolis with a population of almost 3 million, Tijuana, Mexico, is a perfect location for bi-national, international, legal and illegal activities. Because it is the largest border metropolis in Mexico, Tijuana is a popular place for the U.S. government to drop deported individuals. They seem to believe nobody will notice! Migrant groups intersect at the border - exiting and the other arriving. In recent years, the number of deportations has escalated to unprecedented figures....