The Washington Office On Latin America (WOLA)
Friday, September 23, 2016 - 07:15
Two years after 43 students were disappeared by police officers in collusion with a criminal group in Mexico, there have been no convictions, progress in the investigation has stalled, and compelling evidence points to an obstruction of justice in the case.
Wednesday, September 21, 2016 - 07:48
Since July 2014, Mexico has pursued policies that prioritize securing the country’s Southern Border from migrants through control measures and a significant increase in detentions and deportations, ignoring concerns about the human rights of migrants and potential refugees.
Friday, September 16, 2016 - 07:48
“Zerón did not act on his own; he formed part of a broader effort within the Mexican government to invent a ‘historic truth’ about what happened to the students that has been proven again and again to be false," says Maureen Meyer, WOLA's Senior Associate for Mexico.
Wednesday, February 10, 2016 - 07:24
Following the official breakdown of the controversial truce between El Salvador’s two main gangs in March 2014, El Salvador's murder rate increased substantially, reaching a peak in the late summer of 2015, hitting a high of over 900 murders, or 30 per day, in August.
Wednesday, February 10, 2016 - 07:22
The Obama administration sent its last foreign aid budget request to Congress today. While the actual amount is somewhat higher, WOLA identifies US$1,784,379,000 in assistance specified for Latin America and the Caribbean in 2017, based on the preliminary budget documents.
Monday, September 14, 2015 - 12:34
On July 31, 2015, the Center for International Policy and the Washington Office on Latin America sent a letter to the State Department raising concerns about their proposed rule change to the definition of defense services as published on June 3, 2015. The letter describes some of the key U.S. private security contractor activities abroad that would no longer be controlled by the State Department with the proposed rule and offers suggestions on how to improve the proposed definition.
Thursday, February 19, 2015 - 06:59
The FARC continues to insist that it not be, in President Juan Manuel Santos’s words, “the first [guerrillas] in history to hand in their weapons only to go to a prison.”
Wednesday, February 18, 2015 - 11:08
In his recent Washington visit, former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe addressed —but failed to fully respond to— WOLA’s five questions about his opposition to the Colombian peace process.
Wednesday, February 18, 2015 - 10:25
Several voices in Congress are calling for Central American children who arrive at the border to be processed according to the same standards as Mexican kids. But the fact is that the United States is failing to properly protect Mexican child migrants fleeing from violence
Friday, February 13, 2015 - 07:00
The crisis is not over. If current trends continue, child and family apprehensions in 2015 will fall behind 2014, but still exceed 2013 and every other year on record.