Latin America
Bukele Offers to Repatriate 252 Venezuelans in Exchange for Venezuela’s Political Prisoners
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — In a bold diplomatic overture, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele on Sunday proposed a prisoner swap with Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro: 252 deported Venezuelans currently held in El Salvador’s high-security prison in exchange for the release … Read more
Argentina Builds Supermax Prison Near Rosario, Echoing Bukele’s El Salvador Model
ROSARIO, Argentina — With watchtowers, perimeter walls, and severe restrictions, Argentina has begun building its first maximum-security prison for drug traffickers and contract killers—an imposing facility near Rosario that bears a striking resemblance to El Salvador’s notorious CECOT mega-prison, a … Read more
Seeking Justice: The Struggle of Nicaragua’s Stateless Population
Since 2018, the Ortega-Rosario Murillo government in Nicaragua has used multiple repressive strategies to punish citizens who have expressed political dissent, such as persecution, harassment, imprisonment, torture, confiscation of property, and extrajudicial executions. In 2023, state authorities used a new modality for … Read more
El Salvador Becomes First Central American Nation in U.S. Global Entry Program
WASHINGTON — El Salvador has become the first country in Central America to join the United States Global Entry program, granting its citizens access to expedited immigration processing at U.S. airports — a move announced the same day President Nayib … Read more
Nayib Bukele Meets Trump at White House: Leaders Highlight Crime-Fighting Partnership
WASHINGTON — In a high-profile meeting at the White House on Monday, President Donald Trump and El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele solidified a contentious immigration partnership, drawing sharp criticism from legal experts and human rights advocates. The two leaders announced … Read more
Daniel Noboa Is Re-Elected President of Ecuador for the 2025-2029 Term
OLÓN, Ecuador (AP) — President Daniel Noboa secured reelection Sunday, positioning himself to lead Ecuador through 2029 after a turbulent year marked by gang violence and political instability. With 75.82% of votes counted, Noboa received 56.13% of the vote, defeating … Read more
5 Years Post-Pandemic: How Organized Crime Has Evolved in Latin America and the Caribbean
Five years after the COVID-19 pandemic began, organized crime in Latin America and the Caribbean has adopted new strategies and strengthened control over territories and illicit economies. Drug trafficking supply chains have shifted, criminal syndicates have capitalized on the lack … Read more
Costa Rica Cracks Down on Money Laundering Amid Rising Drug Violence
A recent multi-million-dollar money laundering investigation in Costa Rica illustrates how the government is tackling the country’s growing drug-related violence by going after the profits. Authorities indicted 25 individuals on February 28 in the so-called “Fénix” case, accusing them of … Read more
Trump Announces New Tariffs, Including 10% on Salvadoran Imports
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced a new round of tariffs on imports from various countries Wednesday, including a 10% tariff on goods from El Salvador. The announcement, made during a White House ceremony Trump called “Liberation Day,” is expected … Read more