Politics, Business & Culture in the Americas
clemens

How Central American Youth Test Outdated U.S. Immigration Laws

As Vice President Mike Pence travels to Central America this week, immigrants will be on his mind. They’ve certainly been on the news, and on the president’s agenda. Pence knows that Central American children have been fleeing to the United States. But he should also recognize the staggering scale of this wave, and what’s behind it. Understanding … Read more

Immigrants wait in a processing cell at the Adelanto Detention Facility

Immigrants Are Dying in U.S. Detention Centers. And It Could Get Worse.

Osmar Epifanio González Gadba, 32, hanged himself in March after three months in a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center in California while awaiting deportation to Nicaragua. Jean Carlos Jiménez-Joseph, 27, from Panama, hanged himself in ICE custody two months later, after 19 days in solitary confinement. The morning of his death, a … Read more

science

Invasive New U.S. Visa Rules Hurt Americans Too

When the Zika virus arrived in Florida in 2016 after wreaking havoc in Latin America, Governor Rick Scott gave state universities $25 million to research how to combat the virus’ transmission, how to develop a potential vaccine, and how to treat those infected. Teams of scientists – Americans, Brazilians, Venezuelans, Colombians and Haitians – worked … Read more

ortiztop

Trump Deportations Hit Immigrants With Strong U.S. Roots

This article has been updated It didn’t feel much like a homecoming when Luis Fernando Ortiz, 22, stepped off the plane in Mexico City after a decade away. His wrists and ankles were rubbed raw, chained for the duration of a 12-hour journey by bus and plane from Kentucky. His car, apartment, and family – … Read more

venezuela

Venezuelan Refugees Strain Colombian Border Towns

CÚCUTA, Colombia — Majerly Ospina lives with her three children in a tin roof shack with walls of green plastic. They have no running water or electricity. Despite the hardships, Ospina is thankful for what they have in Colombia; living conditions were tougher in her native Venezuela. “You can’t find food there,” she said, holding … Read more

dreamer

Mexican DREAMers Use Fiction to Share Their Immigration Reality

Paper plays an outsized role in Amalia Rojas’ life. A lack of papers – or at least a lack of the right ones – diverted her college dreams when, at 18, she found out she hadn’t been born in the U.S. and didn’t have the legal status she needed to apply for financial aid. Six … Read more

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