El presidente Gabriel Boric ha asistido este jueves junto a su hija Violeta, de siete meses, a la ceremonia de firma del Contrato Especial de Operación de Litio (CEOL) del Salar de Maricunga, en el Palacio de La Moneda. El mandatario ha explicado en la pauta que a su pareja, la química ambiental de la Universidad de Chile y funcionaria del ministerio del Medio Ambiente, Paula Carrasco, se le ha finalizado el periodo de postnatal, que en el país sudamericano es de seis meses para las madres, al que se le pueden añadir días de vacaciones pendientes. Los padres, por su parte, cuentan con cinco días hábiles de permiso.

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Un caso ha sacudido el debate en torno a la administración del presidente Gustavo Petro: las denuncias por la presunta expedición irregular de títulos profesionales a funcionarios y contratistas del Gobierno. El foco está en la Fundación Universitaria San José, institución de educación superior cuya validez académica ha sido cuestionada tras surgir denuncias de títulos otorgados sin cumplir con exigencias legales, como la presentación y aprobación previa de la prueba Saber Pro —un requisito obligatorio para la obtención de títulos profesionales en Colombia.

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La Asamblea Nacional de Venezuela ha aprobado este jueves por unanimidad una parte del articulado definitivo de la ley de amnistía, anunciada hace un par de semanas por la presidenta encargada Delcy Rodríguez. La previsión era que el texto se aprobase definitivamente en su segunda discusión, pero la falta de consenso sobre su alcance ha retrasado el trámite y la ley volverá a la cámara la semana que viene. El chavismo, que ha reconocido sus prisas para sacar la norma adelante cuanto antes, tiene mayoría para aprobarla, pero prefiere contar con el puñado de votos de la oposición.

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El ministro de Relaciones Exteriores chileno, Alberto van Klaveren, ha comunicado este jueves que el Gobierno de Gabriel Boric enviará ayuda humanitaria a Cuba, que atraviesa una crisis que se ha agudizado luego que Donald Trump señalara que iba a imponer aranceles a los países que le vendan petróleo. La información la ha entregado desde el Palacio de La Moneda, donde ha dicho que el apoyo se realizará a través del Fondo Chile contra el Hambre y la Pobreza, de la Cancillería.

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By Dr. Isaac Newton

News Americas, NY, NY, Thurs. Feb. 12, 2026: Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley has done it again. Another election. Another complete sweep of Parliament. No opposition benches filled. No rival voices seated across the aisle. It is a political achievement of rare magnitude.

Many will call it honey sweet. And in many ways, it is.

A clean sweep signals trust. It reflects a population that, for now, prefers continuity over experiment. It affirms the Prime Minister’s command of message, machinery, and momentum. On the regional and global stage, she has become one of the Caribbean’s most commanding figures. Her speeches on climate justice and global finance carry moral clarity. Her interviews are sharp and informed. Barbados, through her, is not whispering in world affairs. It is speaking boldly.

Yet democracy is not measured only by the size of victory. It is measured by the strength of its institutions and the confidence of its people in the process.

Concerns that some voters’ names were left off the electoral list cannot be brushed aside. Even if small in number, such reports matter. Democracy depends on trust. Every eligible citizen must feel counted. Every election must feel clean. Transparency is not optional. It is oxygen.

Then there is the deeper issue. A Parliament without opposition may reflect the weakness of alternatives. The opposition was divided. It failed to inspire. It did not present a unified, compelling vision that made people rejoice. The electorate made its judgment.

Still, even a weak opposition plays a vital role. Debate sharpens ideas. Scrutiny improves policy. Dissent, when constructive, protects the nation from blind spots. A few credible voices across the aisle are not a threat to stability. They are a safeguard for it. Power, no matter how well intentioned, benefits from accountability.

In her acceptance speech, Prime Minister Mottley pledged to eradicate poverty and protect democracy. These are not mere words. They are tests.

Eradicating poverty must mean more than improved statistics. It must mean change that families can feel. It means jobs that pay living wages. It means training young people for a digital and green economy. It means supporting small businesses with access to capital and markets. It means housing that restores dignity and healthcare that is accessible and preventative. Poverty is not only about income. It is about opportunity, ownership, and hope.

Protecting democracy must also move beyond words. It means strengthening electoral systems so that errors are rare and trust is high. It means empowering independent institutions to function without fear or favor. It means welcoming criticism, not resisting it. Democracy is not weakened by questions. It is strengthened by honest answers.

The global context raises the stakes. The world is unsettled. Economic pressures persist. Climate threats loom. Debt burdens weigh heavily on small states. The Prime Minister’s international profile gives Barbados influence. But global applause must translate into local advancement. Roads must improve. Schools must modernize. Communities must feel progress, not just hear about it.

So is this victory bitter sweet or honey sweet?

It is honey sweet if bold rhetoric becomes measurable reform. If poverty truly declines. If institutions grow stronger. If citizens feel heard even when they disagree. If power remains humble.

It becomes bitter sweet if dominance dulls urgency. If development feels distant. If accountability fades in the absence of formal opposition.

A clean sweep wins seats. It does not guarantee legacy.

The electorate has given extraordinary trust. The responsibility that follows is equally extraordinary. History will not remember the margin of victory as much as it remembers the depth of transformation.

Barbados now stands at a defining moment. The sweetness of triumph must be matched by the substance of change. Only then will this victory be remembered not merely as decisive, but as destiny fulfilled.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Dr. Isaac Newton is a globally experienced thought leader, Harvard, Princeton and Columbia -trained strategist, and advocate for social justice and leadership excellence. With over 30 years of expertise in bridging cultural, economic, and ideological divides, he brings a nuanced perspective to complex issues shaping global and regional landscapes.

RELATED: When Skills Matter More Than Passports: A Caribbean Reckoning

By Keith Bernard

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Thurs. Feb. 12, 2026: The recent report regarding Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s denial of UNC interference in the upcoming Barbados elections is more than a simple political rebuttal; it is a signal of a deepening fracture in our regional diplomatic fabric. The narrative unfolding here suggests a shift from mutual respect to a more interventionist style of Caribbean politics. When allegations arise that a governing party in Trinidad and Tobago is actively backing a specific side in a neighbor’s election – particularly just forty-eight hours before the polls opened on February 11th – it casts a long shadow over the sanctity of sovereignty.

This pattern of alleged cross-border political interference echoes troubling precedents from other regions that should serve as cautionary tales. Consider Russia’s documented interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election through disinformation campaigns and cyberattacks- operations that fundamentally undermined public trust in American democratic institutions and poisoned relations between Washington and Moscow for years to come. Or examine China’s increasingly assertive influence operations across the Pacific Islands, where Beijing has allegedly used economic leverage and political donations to sway electoral outcomes in nations like the Solomon Islands and Kiribati, effectively reshaping regional alliances and threatening the traditional influence of Australia and the United States.

Even within democratic blocs, such interference creates lasting damage. The European Union has grappled with accusations that Hungary and Poland have attempted to influence each other’s domestic politics through coordinated media campaigns and financial support for allied parties, weakening the union’s cohesion at precisely the moment it needs solidarity to address migration crises and security threats from Russia. In Latin America, Venezuela’s alleged support for sympathetic political movements in Bolivia, Nicaragua, and Ecuador during the height of the “Pink Tide” era created a polarized hemisphere where accusations of foreign meddling became routine, making genuine regional cooperation nearly impossible.

The creation of a dangerous precedent is perhaps the most worrying aspect of this unfolding story, as the lines between national interests and regional “bloc-building” are becoming dangerously blurred. If we allow the perception to take root that political machinery can be exported across waters to sway local outcomes, we risk turning our neighbors into proxies. This doesn’t just threaten the immediate peace between Port of Spain and Bridgetown; it sets a template for a future where the wealthiest or most organized regional parties can dictate the leadership of smaller nations.

The consequences of such precedents extend beyond bilateral tensions to fundamentally destabilize regional security architectures. When Saudi Arabia and Iran engaged in proxy political warfare across the Middle East – supporting opposing factions in Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, and Bahrain – the result was not merely diplomatic friction but actual armed conflicts that have cost hundreds of thousands of lives and displaced millions. The Sahel region of Africa offers another stark example: external powers including France, Russia, Turkey, and Gulf states have all sought to influence the political trajectories of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger through combinations of military support, political backing, and economic inducements, contributing to a cycle of coups and instability that has made the region a breeding ground for extremism.

Furthermore, we must consider the heavy cost of distrust and the resulting erosion of the CARICOM spirit. Integration depends on the firm belief that each nation’s democratic process is its own, yet by the time a Prime Minister has to issue a “categorical denial” of meddling, the seeds of suspicion have already been sown. History demonstrates how quickly such suspicions can unravel decades of cooperation. The African Union’s effectiveness has been repeatedly undermined by accusations that larger powers like Nigeria, South Africa, and Egypt use their economic weight to influence the domestic politics of smaller member states, making collective action on issues like the Libya crisis or conflicts in the Horn of Africa nearly impossible to coordinate. ASEAN’s principle of non-interference has been tested to breaking point by allegations that Thailand and Cambodia, or Vietnam and the Philippines, have supported opposition movements in each other’s territories, paralyzing the organization’s ability to present a united front on critical issues like the South China Sea disputes or the Rohingya crisis.

The economic consequences alone should give us pause. When members of the Gulf Cooperation Council – supposedly one of the world’s most integrated regional blocs – accused Qatar of political interference in their internal affairs in 2017, the resulting diplomatic crisis and blockade cost the regional economy billions of dollars, disrupted trade networks built over decades, and weakened the GCC’s collective bargaining power vis-à-vis Iran and global energy markets at a critical moment.

Our region cannot afford a narrative of interference; we face collective threats – economic volatility and climate change—that require absolute unity. The stakes for the Caribbean are existential in ways that dwarf even these examples. Small island developing states facing rising sea levels, hurricane intensification, and economic marginalization in global trade systems simply cannot afford the luxury of political division that larger regions might weather. When the Pacific Islands Forum nearly collapsed in 2021 over accusations that Australia and New Zealand were manipulating the selection of the Secretary-General to serve their interests rather than those of smaller island states, it paralyzed the organization’s climate advocacy at precisely the moment when COP26 required maximum Pacific unity. The Caribbean cannot repeat such mistakes when our very existence as viable nations may depend on presenting a coordinated front on climate finance, debt relief, and preferential trade access.

To see our leaders embroiled in accusations of electoral tampering suggests we are looking inward and backward, rather than moving forward as a unified community. The lesson from every region that has traveled this path is clear: once the poison of interference takes hold, it requires years or even decades to restore trust – time we simply do not have.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Keith Bernard is a Guyanese-born, NYC-based analyst and a frequent contributor to News Americas.

RELATED: CARICOM’s Animal Farm? – Why The Caribbean Is United in Rhetoric, Divided In Reality

Han pasado casi dos décadas desde cuando e​l nombre de David Murcia Guzmán estaba en boca de miles de colombianos, pero las elecciones presidenciales de este año lo han vuelto a traer al debate público. Quien fuera e​l cerebro de una gigante pirámide financiera que llevaba sus iniciales como nombre, DMG, ha vuelto tras 18 años a los micrófonos para hacer pública la denuncia disciplinaria que acaba de interponer contra quien fuera su abogado: el candidato presidencial Abelardo de la Espriella. El político de ultraderecha, quien se lanza por primera vez a las elecciones, aparece en las encuestas como uno de los dos aspirantes con más apoyos para las presidenciales a mitad de año. De la mano de otra aspirante, la desconocida abogada Sondra Macollins, Murcia aparece en plena campaña para advertir contra quien podría ser elegido como presidente. “Salgo para que la gente sea consciente de lo que me hizo a mi”, dice. “Si así va a defender a Colombia, Dios nos libre”, añade.

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Caracas, Venezuela — Relatives of Venezuela’s political prisoners claim that an amnesty law proposed by interim President Delcy Rodríguez, which will be debated again Thursday in the National Assembly, contains elements that could leave more than half of the detainees excluded from liberation. 

According to the government, if passed, the law could free political prisoners who were detained as far back as 1999. The bill could help heal “the wounds left by political confrontation and violence,” President Rodriguez said at the time it was announced. 

But prisoners’ rights groups say the law isn’t transparent enough, and dozens  gathered outside of the National Assembly on Tuesday to demand clarity. 

“Today we are here at the National Assembly, after an announcement was made on January 8 about mass releases from prison, an announcement that the Venezuelan State has not fully complied with,” said Andreína Baduel from the Committee for the Liberation of Political Prisoners (Clippve). 

“In addition, we are here to denounce that an amnesty law, under the conditions they intend to approve it, would be an exclusionary amnesty law and would also prolong the pain for those who have endured so much cruelty for years.”

Read more: Venezuela amnesty law passes first vote, could free political prisoners 

According to Baduel, more than half of the political prisoners could be excluded from the amnesty law if approved because Article 6 of the bill specifies certain time periods of political upheaval when people were detained, for example the 2013 presidential elections, mass protests that erupted in 2017, and the crackdown on protesters during the last disputed elections in 2024. 

Prisoners’ rights groups argue that people detained outside of the time periods listed in the language of the bill may not qualify for amnesty.

Some notable figures which could fall into that group include Rocío San Miguel, the president of NGO Control Ciudadano who was arrested in February 2024; activist Javier Tarazona, arrested in 2021; and Eduardo Torres, a lawyer and member of human rights group PROVEA who was arrested in May 2025. Families of imprisoned military personnel also fear their relatives won’t be included if their detentions weren’t related to the time periods mentioned. 

Another subset of prisoners excluded from amnesty, according to the bill, include those convicted of human rights violations, crimes against humanity, murder, drug trafficking, crimes against public property, and corruption.

Activists are also concerned that the law doesn’t specifically mention people who have fled Venezuela in exile but still face ongoing court cases in the country. It is not clear how these cases will be addressed. 

Baduel said that they’ve been lobbying the government for years about prisoners’ rights, and “have gone to state institutions on various occasions to raise the need to set up a round table with international oversight, and they have chosen to continue violating human rights, and we will not allow it.”

Since the January 3 US attacks which removed President Nicolás Maduro from power, Venezuela’s government has released 431 political prisoners, and family members have been camping outside the headquarters of the Bolivarian National Police and El Rodeo prison for over a month to protest the release of their loved ones. 

“I also want to denounce the fact that cruel treatment of political prisoners continues; El Rodeo I remains a torture center, as do other detention centres,” Baduel said, referring to the notorious prison in the state of Miranda. 

“Today more than ever, we will continue to take to the streets to denounce the horror to which we are subjected and to denounce the fact that day after day they revictimize us and prolong our pain when they are supposedly talking about reconciliation,” she said.

Non-governmental organisations and politicians have called for the prisons to be opened and all remaining detainees to be released as part of the transition process the country is undergoing after January 3. However, the releases have been few and far between and in many cases subject to judicial restrictions.

The amnesty law passed the first round of debate on February 5 and is scheduled for the second round of debates on Thursday.

Featured image: Groups protesting in Caracas for the release of political prisoners.

Image credit: Julio Blanca

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Colombian President Gustavo Petro has ordered the removal from active duty of Brigadier General Edwin Masleider Urrego Pedraza, who had been serving as police commander in Cali, after accusing him of involvement in an alleged attempt to sabotage Petro’s recent meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump.

Bogotá, Colombia – Colombian President Gustavo Petro claimed that he “escaped being killed” while on his way to an official visit to the northern Córdoba province on Tuesday.

The South American leader said armed actors planned to shoot down his helicopter, which was forced to fly over the sea for four hours while authorities secured the landing area. 

The alleged attempt comes amid a polarized election season overshadowed by political violence, including political assassinations and kidnappings.

During a public cabinet meeting (Consejo de Ministros) in Montería, the capital of Córdoba, Petro stated that intelligence warned him of an increase in movement by local and transnational crime organizations planning to eliminate him and his family before the end of his presidential term.

“Last night I couldn’t land because I was informed that the helicopter I was traveling in with my daughters was going to be shot at. They didn’t even turn on the lights where I was supposed to land,” he said.

The president directly accused mafias and narcotrafficking groups of targeting him in an effort to destabilize the government and promote violence around the country. 

Petro also maintained that the assassination plot was driven by “foreign” economic interests.

“It’s not the first time they have tried, but this time we have clear evidence that foreign money has financed this operation,” said the President during the meeting. 

In his speech, the Colombian leader also said authorities are investigating a plot to plant narcotics inside one of his official vehicles, adding that he had fired a police general and other officials suspected of involvement. 

“They are preparing a setup to put cocaine in one of my official cars and say the president is a drug trafficker,” confirmed Petro, arguing that the objective is to discredit him. 

In response to the threats, the National Police and the National Protection Unit (UNP) have activated a new ‘Level 1’ security protocol for Petro’s movements, especially when traveling through Colombia’s conflict zones.

Violence, tensions, and elections countdown

Gustavo Petro, the first leftist to be elected president in Colombia, has alleged several assassination plots against him since taking office in August 2022. On multiple occasions, he has claimed to be the target of criminal organizations, both within Colombia and abroad, describing a persistent “death threat” linked to his political agenda. 

Colombia is also approaching a critical electoral cycle, with congressional elections scheduled for March 8, 2026, and the presidential first round on May 31.

Threats from illegal armed groups, violence against communtiy leaders, restrictions on human mobility, and violations of press freedom are threatening the electoral process, according to a recent report by the Electoral Observation Mission (MOE), an independent election watchdog. 

The study highlights that the number of regions at risk due to the coincidence of fraud and violence has risen by 29.7% since the 2022 elections.

“For the 2026 national elections, there are 170 municipalities with some level of electoral risk where indicative factors of fraud and violence coincide in the country. Of these, 81 are at extreme risk, 51 at high risk, and 38 at medium risk,” wrote MOE National Director, Alejandra Barrios.

Candidates from various political parties have also expressed fears of being targeted, following the death of Senator and presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay, who was shot during a public campaign rally in Bogotá in June 2025.

In addition to the alleged assassination attempt on Petro, two other events in recent days have highlighted the increasingly dangerous electoral climate. On February 5, gunmen opened fire on Senator Jairo Castellanos’ caravan in the Arauca region. Although the senator was not in the vehicles at the time, the attack killed two of his bodyguards and the three members of his campaign staff were kidnapped but later released. 

In a statement, the ELN guerrilla group assumed responsibility for the attack, stating that the senator’s vehicle ignored their checkpoints and lamenting the violence.

Senator Aida Quilcué was also kidnapped in Cauca on Tuesday, adding to existing concerns about the dangers faced by politicians in Colombia.

Featured image description: President Gustavo Petro at a cabinet meeting, October 22, 2025.

Featured image credit: @InfoPresidencia via X.

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Santiago, Chile – Latin America has taken a strategic step in the global race for artificial intelligence superiority. 

Chile, together with 15 other countries in the region, officially introduced Latam GPT, the first large language model (LLM) developed in Latin America – an initiative aimed at strengthening regional technological sovereignty amid competition with powers such as the United States and China.

The project, led by the National Center for Artificial Intelligence (CENIA) and backed by public, academic, and technology institutions, was unveiled on Tuesday in the presence of Chilean President Gabriel Boric, who described it as a milestone for the region.

“Thanks to this, more Latin Americans will be able to understand how AI works, there will be greater scientific specialization, collaboration networks that did not previously exist, and we will also be able to develop our own critical and forward-looking perspective on this technology,” he said during the presentation.

Latam GPT is the first LLM developed in Latin America and trained specifically in Spanish and Portuguese. Its first version is scheduled for release in September this year and will be trained on 70 billion words in both languages. The training process will be based on the open-source Llama 3.1 architecture.

The model will be open access for universities, governments, and communities, with the aim of democratizing the development and use of artificial intelligence across the region.

According to Álvaro Soto, director of CENIA, the project represents a historic opportunity to position Latin America as a player in the global technological revolution: “Latam GPT enables Latin America to join the AI revolution as an active participant, developing its own technology and demonstrating what is possible when the region works together.”

While a significant step forward, Latin America still trails global AI leaders. The United States leads through a powerful private sector and the development of frontier models; China through efficiency and large-scale infrastructure; and Europe through substantial investment and computing capacity. In this context, Latam GPT seeks to gradually narrow the gap and strengthen the region’s position in the global AI market.

One of the model’s central pillars is the preservation of Indigenous languages. In its initial phase, efforts will focus on incorporating Rapa Nui, spoken on the Pacific island of the same name, and Mapudungun. 

The initiative is expected to later expand to other Latin American countries, contributing to the digital projection of their languages and cultures.

The initiative stems from the recognition that major artificial intelligence models process a limited share of content in Spanish and Portuguese—around 4% and 2%, respectively—highlighting the region’s underrepresentation. 

This is compounded by a significant gap in the availability of historical data between the Global North and South, which hampers research and the accurate application of these tools in Latin American contexts.

Considered one of the most ambitious projects of Boric’s administration, Latam GPT aims to develop artificial intelligence tailored to the Latin American context. 

In the future, the initiative could enhance user experience across the region and support the management of public-sector processes, making them more agile and efficient.

Featured imagen: Official presentation of Latam GPT at Studio 4 of Televisión Nacional de Chile (TVN), in Santiago, February 10.
Image credits: Gabriel Boric Font via Instagram.

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Medellin, Colombia — Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodriguez last week announced plans to release political prisoners from the infamous El Helicoide detention center and transform the architectural marvel-turned alleged torture center in Caracas into a cultural hub, sparking mixed reactions from Venezuelans. 

While families of imprisoned dissidents are cautiously optimistic that their loved ones will soon be freed, critics fear the government’s plans could whitewash the memory of atrocities perpetrated there by the regime of Nicolás Maduro. 

Initially conceived in 1956 as a futuristic shopping mall and symbol of the nation’s modernity by then dictator Marcos Pérez Jiménez, following his overthrow two years later the project stalled. From the 1980s the government began to occupy the building as an administrative centre, eventually housing the headquarters of SEBIN, the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service. 

In more recent memory, the towering structure has served as a fearful symbol of state repression visible throughout Caracas. Its miles of reinforced concrete designed to allow consumers to drive to shop doors were converted into overcrowded cells that hold prisoners to this day. 

Human rights groups and the testimonials of former prisoners have denounced not only the political nature of some detentions, but also unsanitary conditions, overcrowding, and torture. A 2023 United Nations report found “reasonable grounds to believe” that the 2021 death of General Raúl Isaías Baduel, a former defense minister imprisoned for alleged corruption, was the result of a refusal of adequate medical care. Another report investigated the cases of over 90 victims of human rights violations between 2014 and 2021, with former SEBIN employees stating that Maduro gave direct orders instructing them to torture detainees. 

The decision to free prisoners at the site has been met with reserved optimism from human rights NGOs and families of the incarcerated. Foro Penal, which keeps a tally of political prisoners in the country, reported there were still over 600 people being held in El Helicoide after some 400 were released since January 8. That number differs vastly  from the government’s claim that it has released 900 so far.

The number of prisoners released could increase following the National Assembly’s unanimous approval of the first vote of an amnesty bill on February 5, which would benefit political dissidents imprisoned since 1999. During the announcement of the bill on January 31, Rodríguez also shared plans for El Helicoide to be transformed into a “cultural, sport, and commercial centre” for the benefit of local communities. 

Families of the imprisoned have since gathered outside the prison in anticipation of their loved ones’ release. Whilst some have celebrated the announcement, others have criticized the slow pace of releases, accusing the government of prolonging the suffering of families.  

The proposal to convert El Helicoide into a cultural centre has also been met with criticism from those who are concerned it could erase the prison’s violent past. “For a democratic transition it is fundamental to preserve historical memory,” Rosmit Mantilla, former National Assembly member and previous detainee, told RFI. For him the prospect of converting El Helicoide into a recreational centre is “very dangerous”. 

The planned changes would not be the first time the state has been accused of attempting to distract from the building’s use as a prison. Last May Transparencia Venezuela denounced the use of El Helicoide for a professional basketball league over a “dungeon of political prisoners.”

Alí Daniels, a lawyer and director of Acceso a la Justicia, a Venezuelan NGO that monitors human rights and the justice system, believes the future of the building should be geared towards education and the promotion of historical memory. 

Noting the symbolic nature of El Helicoide, Daniels believes that its structure should be maintained but as “a symbol of peace and coexistence” that simultaneously recognizes its history and those responsible for it. 

For Daniels, the seriousness of the building’s history “makes it necessary for it to become one of the first steps in establishing a construction of Venezuela’s historical memory” and therefore shouldn’t be distorted, but instead turned into a place for education. 

“It should be a museum of memory where future generations are taught what happened there […] to vindicate all those who have been victims,” he said. 

Featured image: El Helicoide

Image credit: Damián D. Fossi Salas via Wikimedia Commons. License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

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Caracas, Venezuela — In late November, just over a month before the US attack on Caracas that would result in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro, President Donald Trump issued a warning that airspace around Venezuela should be considered “closed in its entirety” as the US military build up mounted in the Caribbean sea. 

It’s been over a month since the attacks and several airlines are taking steps to resume international flights to the country, opening up the possibility of improvements in connectivity as well as helping tourism in the Caribbean nation, known for its spectacular destinations.

Avianca is leading the return by resuming its daily Bogotá-Caracas route on February 12, followed by Air Europa on February 17 and Laser Airlines (Caracas-Madrid) on February 18. 

LATAM will resume its flights from Bogotá on February 23; Wingo will restart flights to Caracas from Medellín on March 1; Turkish Airlines and Plus Ultra will initiate flights on March 3; GOL will fly from São Paulo on March 8; and TAP Portugal will resume flights on March 30.  

In the case of flights to the United States, Copa Airlines has already enabled ticket sales for the Caracas-Panama-Miami route since January 30, allowing passengers to travel again under the same reservation. 

As for direct flights, American Airlines was the first US airline to formally announce its return, declaring itself “ready” to resume daily operations after being absent for nearly seven years in the country. However, there is still no formal date set for the start of these non-stop flights.

Most of these airlines suspended operations because, at the end of November 2025, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a maximum alert for Venezuelan airspace, citing instability in navigation systems and military activity, leading several airlines to consider flying a risk and suspending operations. 

For its part, the Venezuelan government responded by demanding that the airlines resume operations within 48 hours or lose their permanent permits, leaving several of them out of the country for months.

What does Venezuela’s tourism sector think?

Vicky Herrera, president of the Venezuelan Association of Travel and Tourism Agencies (Avavit), told Latin American Reports that the current situation is stabilizing and she expects a significant impact in the short term.

“I would describe it as a stabilization process. Why? Because at the moment, the airlines, both those that suspended operations and those that are re-entering the market, are somehow trying to adapt and establish everything related to operations in order to start flying again. I think that by March or April we will probably have a slightly more complete picture and we will be able to see more clearly which airlines will be operating in the country,” she said.

The tourism professional explained that it’s key for countries like the Dominican Republic and the United States to activate flights to Venezuela, something that will benefit the country.

However, her organization believes that connectivity to more nearby destinations should also be activated. 

“Hopefully, some destinations related to South America will be added, because I think it is one of the areas that is a little neglected and the return of some of the important destinations in South America could probably be significant,” she added. 

Another aspect she views as favorable is the predicted reduction of ticket prices as more and more flights are added. 

Just after the disputed elections in 2024, Venezuelans complained of skyrocketing ticket prices, with common routes like Bogotá – Caracas hitting between USD $800 and $1,700 per ticket. 

Herrera stressed that the tourism sector is eagerly awaiting an increase in flights. 

“We have been working for a long time for this moment, for this possibility of opening up, for this possibility of improving something as important as connectivity,” she said. “We have been clear for a long time that it was necessary for connectivity to open up to new possibilities so that we could really begin to see competitive advantages for tourism.”

Of course, she also is cognizant of the challenges that remain for tourism in the country, saying that as the economy and public utilities stabilize, hoteliers can “offer a service without the need for an electric generator” — which increases their costs. “This will surely have an impact on prices and we will have a better offer,” she said.

Featured image: Avianca Airbus A320.

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

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Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Tuesday warned of an “attack on freedom of expression and information” after the disclosure of alleged parameters issued by Ecuador’s armed forces to restrict coverage by media outlets deemed critical, EFE reported.

By Danjha Leon Martinez

Peru has become one of the top destinations for Venezuelan migrants, second only to Colombia, with close to a million Venezuelans now calling it home. The Venezuelan diaspora started their mobilization journey after being forcibly displaced due to the socio-political situation in their home country.

Most migrants are young adults aged 18 to 34. About half hold technical or university degrees. Despite this, they had been encountering difficulties finding enough opportunities suitable for their professional or occupational credentials. In terms of resettlement, Peru still faces challenges in delivering the social services needed for effective migrants’ social integration. Specifically, the Peruvian system does not expedite their access to primary services such as documentation, healthcare, housing, and education during the early stages of their integration into the country. Thus, Venezuelans find themselves working in the informal economy as street vendors, construction workers, or housekeepers, taking any opportunities that they can find.

For many migrants, the choice to settle in Peru isn’t random. They are drawn by the country’s steady economic growth and its notable progress in reducing poverty. Others come to reunite with family or because Peru’s legal migration procedures are comparatively easier than those of other nations.

Diego: When I arrived in Peru, I said ‘Vaya! Hay Audis, Mercedes Benz, Starbucks…’ In Peru, I found opportunities… I was able to open a barbershop and take a loan to buy a car.

Venezuelan arrivals have put a slight increase in demand on Peru’s public services, with hospitals, schools, and social programs. But a growing population will grow the economy and produce more opportunities for all in Peru. Locals have noticed more competition for low-wage jobs, fueling worries about unemployment and sparking some anti-immigrant attitudes that are tied to xenophobic sentiment.

Given the high degree of informality in Peru’s economy, migrants can find work quickly, and open migration policies have made it easier for them to get temporary permits. Still, Venezuelans in Lima, the capital of Peru, face hurdles in getting formal jobs, leaving many with higher education degrees to work as street vendors, housekeepers, and in small trades just to get by.

For this reason, Venezuelans heavily rely on transnational and local social networks, which provide crucial support, including information about job opportunities, housing, and other resources that aid economic survival.

Pedro: (former employee at PDVSA, Petróleos de Venezuela): During the first three months that I was here in Peru, I could not find a job. I survived only with the support of my countrymen. 

Despite issues such as job precariousness and limited rights, Lima offers better economic opportunities than other potential destinations in Peru’s main cities. 

Saul: I feel like I really prospered. When I arrived, the challenges were overwhelming, but the benefits I gained from it are invaluable. Now I can give stability to my family, and I own a business which I’m proud of.

Jose (Venezuelan mechanic who moved to Lima in 2018): “The minimum wage here in Peru… it’s not feasible for a Venezuelan to live with dignity because the rent prices and groceries cost basically the whole salary.” 

Despite the funding and technical support from several international NGOs to implement humanitarian assistance, there has been a disconnect between the results of these initiatives and the intended outcomes. Almost 70% of the Venezuelan community still need to accelerate their migration process and acquire a formal status, requiring international protection. Coping strategies for financial survival include juggling multiple informal jobs, entrepreneurial activities, and sharing housing to reduce living costs, often under precarious conditions. Venezuelan migrants who plan for a future in Peru balance hopes for stability with the need to adapt to informal economic contexts and local cultural idiosyncrasies.

Peru’s political will towards the integration of the Venezuelan diaspora could be reflected by future policy frameworks that help secure legal immigration statuses and access to social programs with fewer bureaucratic hurdles. Even after facing a difficult journey, Venezuelan migrants have significantly contributed to Peru’s economy and society. They have filled critical labor gaps in sectors such as construction, food services, and informal vending, thereby driving economic growth, particularly in low-wage jobs. Many have also opened small businesses, diversifying local economies and creating jobs.

Overall, migration brings development opportunities to a country. As of now, the Venezuelan diaspora is still in the process of integration and organizing mutual support. Given the diaspora’s positive impact on the country’s development and Peru’s long-standing history of economic growth driven by the arrival of diverse migrant clusters, it would be beneficial for both the vulnerable community and the host country to advocate for the protection and effective integration of the Venezuelan diaspora.

Danjha Leon Martinez is a Research Assistant for the Immigration Lab at the Center for Latin American & Latino Studies. She is a Development Management graduate student at American University with a focus on humanitarian aid and global migration.

Edited by Ernesto Castañeda, Director of the Center for Latin American and Latino Studies (CLALS) and the Immigration Lab, Katheryn Olmos, Research & Data Coordinator, and Vincent Iannuzzi-Sucich, Research Intern at the Immigration Lab.

NEWS Americas, NY, NY, Tues. Feb. 10, 2026: The legacy of the late Caribbean American trailblazer Shirley Chisholm is taking physical form once again in Brooklyn, as city leaders this week announced the opening of the Shirley Chisholm Recreation Center in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, NY, a historic investment in community wellness, youth development, and public space in the heart of Little Haiti.

Unveiled by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the new center is the first Parks recreation center built in more than a decade, the first ever in Central Brooklyn, and now the largest recreation center in the borough. City officials estimate it will serve more than 41,000 New Yorkers living within a 15-minute walk or transit ride of the facility.

Named in honor of Chisholm – the first Black and Caribbean American woman elected to the U.S. Congress and the first Black and Caribbean American woman to seek a major party’s presidential nomination – the center stands as a modern tribute to her lifelong commitment to equity, access, and community empowerment. Chisholm, whose parents immigrated from Barbados and Guyana, represented Brooklyn in Congress from 1969 to 1983 and famously ran “Unbought and Unbossed.”

“This center will soon be alive with possibility,” Mayor Mamdani said at the opening. “Shirley Chisholm believed politics should be accountable to everyday people. This space is a living tribute to her legacy — proving that when we invest in affordable, accessible public spaces, we build a city that works for all.”

Spanning approximately 74,000 square feet, the Shirley Chisholm Recreation Center offers far more than traditional gym facilities. It includes a competition-size six-lane swimming pool with full accessibility features, a walking track, a regulation gymnasium for basketball, volleyball and pickleball, cardio and weight rooms, and dedicated spin and exercise studios.

Beyond fitness, the center emphasizes education, creativity, and youth engagement – pillars that echo Chisholm’s own priorities. Amenities include a teaching kitchen, an afterschool program space with an outdoor play area, a supervised teens-only zone, and the Dr. Roy A. Hastick Sr. Media Lab, named after the late Grenadian-born founder of the Caribbean American Chamber of Industry and Commerce, (CAACI), complete with a mixing room for audio-visual production, podcasting, and digital storytelling.

NYC Parks Commissioner Tricia Shimamura called the center a long-overdue investment in Central Brooklyn. “Over 41,000 New Yorkers now have an affordable space to exercise, learn, and connect,” she said. “This is exactly the kind of community infrastructure Shirley Chisholm fought for.”

Membership is free for New Yorkers 24 and under, with discounted rates for all ages. The center officially opens to the public today, Tuesday, February 10, and for its first week, all New Yorkers are invited to enjoy one free day of access to explore the facility before registering for membership. Guided tours, demonstrations, and sign-up events will also be held throughout the opening week.

Local elected officials praised the project as both a practical resource and a symbolic victory. Council Member Farah Louis noted that the center represents years of advocacy and a $141 million investment in a community long underserved by recreational infrastructure. State Senator Kevin Parker called it “a statement about what our communities deserve.”

As Brooklyn marks Black History Month and reflects on a century of Black political progress, the opening of the Shirley Chisholm Recreation Center offers more than brick and mortar. It delivers a tangible reminder that Chisholm’s legacy – rooted in Caribbean migration, courage, and public service — continues to shape the future of the communities she fought to uplift.

In East Flatbush, her name now anchors a space designed not just to serve, but to empower – a living embodiment of “Unbought and Unbossed.”

ABOUT CHISHOLM

Shirley Anita Chisholm (1924–2005) was a groundbreaking U.S. politician who made history in 1968 as the first Black woman elected to Congress, representing Brooklyn for seven terms (1969–1983). Born in New York to Caribbean immigrant parents from Barbados and Guyana, Chisholm spent part of her childhood in Barbados and carried the West Indian heritage throughout her life and public service.

In 1972, she shattered another barrier as the first Black candidate to seek a major-party presidential nomination and the first woman to run for the Democratic nomination, campaigning under her iconic motto, “Unbought and Unbossed.” Known for fearless advocacy, she took resolute stands against economic, social, and political injustice, championing civil rights, women’s rights, education, and anti-poverty programs. In 2015, she was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, cementing her legacy as a Caribbean-rooted American pioneer.

RELATED: Black Caribbean Immigrants In US Black History

MIAMI, Feb. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — The evolution of Royal Caribbean’s Artist Discovery Program continues on board the newest Icon Class vacation, Legend of the Seas, this summer. Designed to provide local, emerging artists with the opportunity to showcase their work to global audiences, the program has expanded to give artists across the Caribbean and Central America the opportunity to display their work for millions of vacationers who will set sail for years to come. Artists can send their submissions starting today through March 1 here.

“Our Artist Discovery Program is a testament to how Royal Caribbean creates culturally immersive experiences for guests, connecting vacationers of all ages with the destinations we visit around the world,” said Michael Bayley, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean. “We’re excited to expand the program to include emerging artists from Central America alongside the Caribbean and increase the number of locations for large-scale murals on Legend from four to six, creating more opportunities for artists to highlight the diverse destinations we visit through their work.”

Selected artists will be commissioned to paint large-scale murals that will create a visually immersive experience for guests in six highly visible locations on board Legend including: the Royal Promenade neighborhood, Legend‘s embarkation area, the Suite Sundeck Lobby and Suite Sundeck. Redefining how art lives, moves and inspires at sea, the program will celebrate the creative spirit of the Caribbean and Central America.

Artists interested in joining the Artist Discovery program must submit:

• Five samples of conceptual work: The work must be original and may not currently be published or on display.
• A brief artist statement that helps explain their work, inspiration and other details regarding the pieces submitted.
• A copy of their resume.

The next cohort of budding artists will join those whose work has appeared on Icon of the Seas, Starof the Seas and at the vacation brand’s newly opened exclusive destination Royal Beach Club Paradise Island in Nassau, The Bahamas. The Artist Discovery Programs on Icon and Star highlighted artists from the Caribbean emulating the rhythm and vibrance of the region, while the program at Royal Beach Club Paradise Island exclusively showcased local Bahamian talent, capturing the unique energy and spirit of The Bahamas.

Legend will level up European summers in 2026 with 7-night Western Mediterranean adventures from Barcelona, Spain, and Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy. The bold adventures on board continue on shore, whether it’s stepping back in time at Rome’s Colosseum, feasting on flavors from the fishing villages of Provence (Marseille), France, or diving into the local cultures of Naples, Italy, and Palma De Mallorca, Spain. In November 2026, Legend will make its grand Caribbean debut in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with 6-night Western Caribbean getaways and 8-night Southern Caribbean vacations to the beaches of Oranjestad, Aruba, and Willemstad, Curacao. Plus, every Caribbean vacation visits Royal Caribbean’s top-rated Perfect Day at CocoCay, featuring turquoise blue waters and beaches, a thrilling waterpark, pools, swim-up bars and more.

Additional information on the Artist Discovery Program can be found here.

About Royal Caribbean

Royal Caribbean
, part of Royal Caribbean Group (NYSE: RCL), has delivered memorable vacations for more than 50 years. The cruise line’s game-changing ships and exclusive destinations revolutionize vacations with industry-leading innovations and an all-encompassing combination of experiences, from thrills and ways to chill, to dining and entertainment, for every type of family and vacationer. Voted “Best Cruise Line Overall” for 23 consecutive years in the Travel Weekly Readers Choice Awards, Royal Caribbean makes memories with adventurers across more than 300 destinations in 80 countries on all seven continents, including the vacation brand’s Perfect Day at CocoCay and Royal Beach Club Paradise Island in The Bahamas, plus four new signature destinations joining the growing lineup by 2027.

Media can stay up to date by following @RoyalCaribPR on X and visit www.RoyalCaribbeanPressCenter.com. For additional information or to book, vacationers can visit www.RoyalCaribbean.com, call (800) ROYAL-CARIBBEAN or contact their travel advisor.

By Felicia J. Persaud

By News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Feb. 2026: More than a year after the Trump administration moved aggressively to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives across federal agencies and publicly criticized corporate and cultural efforts tied to racial equity, the Super Bowl 2026 ads unfolded as a revealing moment in America’s ongoing debate over representation, culture, and belonging.

On the surface, Super Bowl 2026 reflected progress. According to new data from market research firm Zappi, 68% of national Super Bowl advertisements visibly featured multiple racial or ethnic groups, a notable increase from 57% the previous year. In more than a quarter of the ads, characters from historically underrepresented communities were not just present, but central to the narrative – speaking, driving the action, or occupying the visual center of the story.

Yet, beneath those gains, familiar limitations remained.

Celebrity casting in Super Bowl commercials continued to skew overwhelmingly white. Of the 103 celebrities appearing in ads this year, at least 60 were white, according to counts by industry publication ADWEEK. Meanwhile, LGBTQ+ representation declined for the second consecutive year, with just five ads explicitly featuring LGBTQ talent — all of whom were already publicly out celebrities — and no transgender representation for the third straight year.

The contrast illustrated a broader tension playing out across American institutions: representation is expanding, but cautiously, even as political pressure mounts against DEI frameworks.

That pressure has been particularly pronounced since Donald Trump returned to office as President, pledging to eliminate what he has called “woke ideology” from government and public life. Over the past year, his administration has rolled back DEI programs, challenged diversity-based hiring initiatives, and supported efforts to limit the teaching of Black history and race-related topics in public institutions.

Against that backdrop, the Super Bowl – long viewed as both a commercial showcase and cultural barometer — became an unintended mirror of the moment.

Several of the most effective ads this year leaned into multicultural storytelling. Campaigns from Dove, Rocket Mortgage, the NFL, Volkswagen, Toyota, and Novo Nordisk ranked 8% above average in sales impact, according to Zappi, reinforcing research that inclusive representation resonates with broad audiences. Rocket Mortgage’s “America Needs Neighbors,” for example, depicted a Latino family and a white family building community, while Levi’s featured a diverse cast that included K-pop star Rosé and rapper Doechii.

Still, the reliance on white celebrity faces for marquee roles suggested that brands remain cautious, balancing inclusion with perceived commercial safety.

Beyond advertising, the Super Bowl’s cultural reach extended onto the field and the halftime stage.

Players with immigrant and Caribbean roots featured prominently in the game, reflecting demographic realities often absent from political discourse. The half-time show, headlined by Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny, placed Spanish-language music and Latin and Caribbean culture at the center of one of the most-watched broadcasts in the world – a moment that sparked both celebration and backlash.

For supporters, the performance reflected an America that is multilingual, multicultural, and shaped by immigration. For critics, it became another flashpoint in debates over national identity and cultural change.

Industry observers note that this dual reaction is not new, but it is increasingly visible. “Brands are responding to a society that is more diverse than ever, while navigating a political climate that is openly skeptical of diversity efforts,” said one advertising analyst familiar with the Zappi research. “The Super Bowl shows both impulses at once.”

The decline in LGBTQ+ visibility further underscored that progress is uneven. GLAAD reported that while some brands continue to feature queer talent, many appear to be pulling back amid heightened political scrutiny and social backlash.

Taken together, Super Bowl 2026 did not signal a reversal of diversity, but neither did it mark a decisive break from old patterns. Instead, it offered a snapshot of a country negotiating who is seen, who is centered, and how far representation is allowed to go during moments of mass cultural attention.

In a year defined by DEI retrenchment at the policy level, the Super Bowl showed that diversity has not disappeared from American storytelling – but it is advancing carefully, selectively, and under pressure.

For millions watching, the message was mixed but unmistakable: America’s cultural reality continues to push forward, even as the political debate over that reality intensifies.

Felicia J. Persaud is the founder and publisher of  NewsAmericasNow.com, the only daily syndicated newswire and digital platform dedicated exclusively to Caribbean Diaspora and Black immigrant news

RELATED: From Borders To The Big Game: How Immigrants Defined Super Bowl LX

Football teams have 22 players in addition to punters and kickers. Of those 22, one player, the quarterback, gets 60 % of the attention and credit (and blame) for a team’s performance. Five other players (the backs and the two ends) get 35% (in other words each get 7%) of the attention. The remaining 5% goes to the 11 members of the defensive team (that is, each get less than a half of 1%). The 5 members of the offensive line (excluding the ends) get 0%. Why is that? The performance of the defensive line can get measured by the number of tackles, sacks and fumble recoveries. But all the offensive line does is block. How can you measure that?

Senator Iván Cepeda, the presidential candidate of Colombia’s ruling Pacto Histórico coalition, said he will file a criminal complaint against former President Andrés Pastrana (1998–2002) after Pastrana’s name appeared in newly declassified records linked to Jeffrey Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted in the United States for her role in the trafficking scheme.

Cuba has warned international airlines that it will run out of aviation fuel starting Monday, widening an energy emergency that has already disrupted transport, public services and economic activity — and now threatens to further squeeze tourism, one of the island’s main sources of hard currency.

Bad Bunny turned the Super Bowl LX halftime show into a hemispheric cultural statement: Puerto Rico at the center, Spanish as the primary language, and an idea of “America” that stretches beyond the United States.

Caracas, February 4, 2026 (venezuelanalysis.com) – Chavista supporters filled the streets of Caracas on Tuesday to demand the release of President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady and Deputy Cilia Flores. The rally marked one month from their kidnapping on January 3 as part of a US military attack against Venezuela. Heavy gunfire erupts near Presidential […]

The post Venezuela stages Massive Rally demanding Maduro Liberation & Return to Caracas appeared first on New Jetpack Site.

Bolivia will honor lithium agreements concluded by the previous government with Russia and China if the integrity and transparency of those deals are confirmed, President Rodrigo Paz said. The deals will be reviewed and made public to allow proper scrutiny, Paz told the Financial Times in an interview published Tuesday. Bolivia controls the Price of […]

The post Bolivia to honor transparent Lithium Deals with Russia & China appeared first on New Jetpack Site.

The luxury resort scene in Los Cabos keeps getting more heated all the time. This has clearly become the go-to spot for high-end hotel chains to make their mark in Mexico. The home-grown Mexican companies are no slackers, however, and Grand Solmar Land’s End is worth considering for its impressive pool complexes, large rooms,...

The post Tour Grand Solmar Land’s End at the Tip of the Baja Peninsula appeared first on Luxury Latin America Blog.

by Jonathan Valenzuela

During President Trump’s first term (2017-2021), a variety of immigration policy changes were implemented, which contributed to a shift in migration from Central America away from the United States and towards Europe. Now, in his second term more extreme anti-immigration policies alongside the rollback of Biden-era practices, such as the ending of the CBP One app, similar shifts of destination countries for Central American immigrants may continue. In 2023, it is estimated that there are about 4.3 million Central American immigrants in the United States, and 323,000 Central American immigrants in Spain.  

Migration of Central Americans to the United States and Europe began during the armed conflicts of the 80s and 90s. It marked the start of a migration pattern which has only continued to grow. The most recent wave of Central American migrants to Europe began with Nicaraguan women in the mid-2000s to the early 2010s. 

The largest Central American population is in Spain, with Hondurans most prevalent in Catalonia, Nicaraguans in the Basque Country, and Salvadorans in Madrid and increasingly in Seville. These populations have concentrated in these regions primarily because of established immigrant communities, strong labor markets, and an unmet need for labor in sectors such as elder or childcare. Notably, the population of Central Americans in Europe is composed primarily of Hondurans, Salvadorans, Guatemalans, and Nicaraguans. Costa Rican and Panamanian immigrants remain at a smaller number than those from the other four countries.

The outlook of Central American immigrants in Spain is both different and like those in the United States. On one hand, many female members of both communities work in domestic jobs such as childcare or housekeeping, but a main difference is that the Central American home in Europe is headed by the women of the household, who struggle less to find jobs than men do.  

The acceleration of Central American immigration to Europe has notably grown because of the increased militarization of the United States’ southern border and policy changes since the first Trump administration. The increased difficulty of migrating to arrive to the United States made Central Americans seek other destinations. Spain is a solid option because of the ease of entering the country due to a lack of visa requirements, a perceived welcoming environment, an easier immigration process, a shared language, and similar cultural elements. From 2021 to 2024, the number of Central American immigrants in Spain grew by some 60,000. 

The United States is the preferential destination for most Central American as it is the home of the largest diasporas. Experts agree that increased hostility on the Mexico-U.S. border, especially during the first Trump administration, is tied to the increase of Central American immigration to Europe. Through increased collaboration with Spain, the United States seeks to reduce the flows of immigration from the region towards itself, but not necessarily to stop it altogether. 

Now, it is only a matter of time until this pattern further evolves with the second Trump administration, which has signaled its desire to further deter immigrants from entering the country. Regardless of the paid ads or policy changes the administration pushes, people will continue to immigrate.  

Spain has continued to receive immigrants from Latin America and is considered to have “solved” immigration and it has the fastest growth of any European economy thanks to immigration. However, with anti-immigration protests in the country and throughout the world, the question remains whether these deterrent efforts will successfully push Central American immigrants to other destinations? And how long will these destinations such as Spain remain open to Central Americans before they decide to implement stricter migration policies as well? Or whether we are starting to see an equilibrium between the people needing to leave Central America, the people settling in other countries in the region, Mexico, the United States, and Spain, and the decrease in gang violence and economic opportunities in Central America.   

Jonathan Valenzuela Mejia is a Guatemalan-American legal professional based in New York City. He completed a B.A. in Global Studies and a B.A. in Public Affairs with a minor in Central American Studies from UCLA. 

Edited by Ernesto Castañeda, Director of the Immigration Lab and the Center for Latin American and Latino Studies. 

Trump has issued the following statement on Truth Social: “We will guard, and very powerfully so, any and all Federal Buildings that are being attacked by these highly paid Lunatics, Agitators, and Insurrectionists. There will be no spitting in the faces of our Officers, there will be no punching or kicking the headlights of our cars, and there will be no rock or brick throwing at our vehicles or at our Patriot Warriors. If there is, those people will suffer an equal, or more, consequence.”

The USA began overthrowing governments in Latin America in the 1890’s, often working with internal elements, usually the military and the business community, to do so, Peter Kuznick, the director of the Nuclear Studies Institute at American University, told Sputnik. Its the internal betrayal that is sometimes even more disturbing, because that is not a […]

The post US-Backed Coups in Latin America are Bad, Local Elites’ Judas-Style Betrayals are Worse appeared first on New Jetpack Site.

By Maria Muradyan 

Most of the narratives about immigration are wrong. They are simplistic, outdated, and dangerous. — Ernesto Castañeda.  

This quote carries particular weight here in Washington, DC, where harmful rhetoric and harsh policy are produced just a couple of blocks away from immigrant communities who face its consequences directly. For decades, the topic of immigration has been at the forefront of American political discourse. Americans on opposite ends of the aisle have consistently disagreed on immigration policy and whether or not we as a country have a responsibility to accept people who cross the border and enter America “illegally”. Opinions on the topic, though always polarizing, have transformed and intensified drastically in the last decade, with the election of President Donald Trump and the emergence of the “MAGA” movement. The slogan “Make America Great Again” can be most often associated with right-wing populism, conservative nationalism, but perhaps most famously, a narrative that casts Latin American immigrants as threats to national security and as a strain on American society. 

The current administration’s rhetoric and policy on immigration have single handedly created one of the most polarized political environments in American history. As the political climate has shifted, these ideological divisions have fueled a wave of widespread misconceptions and stereotypes about Latino immigrants, who they are, why they come, and the impact they have on American society. These harmful misinterpretations not only distort public attitudes but also pave the path for harsh immigration policies and are used to justify the unlawful and inhumane deportation practices carried out by ICE in Washington, DC, and across the nation. 

In an effort to better understand these stereotypes and the effects they have on victims and their families, I conducted an interview with Dr. Ernesto Castañeda, a migration scholar, professor, and Director of Immigration Lab at American University’s Center for Latin American and Latino Studies. Dr. Castañeda is a leading voice on how misconceptions shape the lived experiences of immigrant communities in DC, and how enforcement, family separation, and uncertainty shape the lives and psychological well-being of youth. 

The first false assumption he addressed is the belief that America has become ‘overflooded with immigrants’. Dr Castañeda pointed out that actual population data proves just the opposite. According to a Pew Research study conducted in 2023, immigrants make up roughly 15% of America’s population (52% being from Latin America). Not only this, but out of the total number of individuals not born in America, undocumented immigrants made up a mere 27% (Pew Research 2025). Locally, immigrants constitute about the same share of the D.C. population as they do nationally. All immigrants make up about 13% of the population, out of which 11.3% identify as Latino (American Immigration Council 2025) 

When looking at data from the 2024 election year, an analysis of tens of thousands of statements made by Trump showed that he repeated the sentence ” [South American countries are] emptying out their prisons and their mental institutions into the United States ” or similar ones over 560 times during his most recent re-election campaign (Marshall Project 2024). Dr. Castañeda explains how these repeated claims are what perpetuate stereotypes such as Latinos are ‘dangerous criminals, ‘ invading the country, and ‘using up public resources. ’ When average Americans, with little knowledge or exposure to immigrants, hear these statements repeatedly, they will inevitably begin to accept them as facts. However, long-term empirical studies show us otherwise. Research analyzed by the Journal of Criminology over the span of 24 years showed that no evidence exists that links undocumented immigrants to the number of violent crimes in the country. Not only this, but this study found that increases in the immigrant population within the states correspond to decreases in the prevalence of violence and crime (Light & Miller, 2018). 

According to Castañeda, current narratives fail to take into account that the vast majority of Latino immigrants come to America to ‘study, work, contribute to science, to work in hospitals, to get married, and that is rarely part of the story’. Furthermore, as he explains both in his book Immigration Realities and in our interview, immigrants actually rely on public assistance at lower rates than U.S. citizens, and this is true even for their U.S born children. They also play an essential role in keeping the economy and population growing. Immigrants contribute to scientific progress, cultural creativity, and the continuation and spread of American ideas and culture. Any evolving society needs new people to sustain itself, and throughout history, immigrants have taken on that role in the United States. 

While these negative narratives dominate the national conversation, their most immediate impact becomes visible in places like DC, where families must confront fear and instability while navigating their day to day lives. The Shrine of the Sacred Heart, a Catholic Church, which is just a short bus ride from the White House, has long served as a place of worship for the Catholic Latin American community in DC. However, in the last several months, it has become a hub for ICE attacks this October. The Associated Press reports that over 40 members of the parish have been recently deported as churchgoers are ‘fearful to leave their homes, get food, medical care or attend Mass’. The Archdiocese of Washington describes these mass deportations as “instruments of terror” for the Latino community of DC. The climate in the city remains especially volatile for mixed status families, who must live with the fear that their loved one will be detained while doing their daily tasks. This became a reality for one member of the Sacred Heart Church whose husband was detained by ICE while selling fruits and vegetables at the family owned fruit stand. She says, “ It’s been a very difficult, bitter month of crying and suffering…our lives changed forever one day to the next” (Associated Press, 2025) 

Stories like these are not limited to Sacred Heart but are a reflection of the unique set of challenges that mixed-status families face in DC and across the nation. These effects are already being felt in DC high schools and universities, where Dr. Castañeda notes the current political environment is having consequences on youth in these mixed status families. He states, “Youth are afraid for themselves and are afraid for their families, for their friends, for the communities…that makes it harder to focus on school, we see that in the universities, we see that with colleagues, we see that with staff members who have undocumented family members”. A 2024 study published by the Journal of Latinx Psychology followed a sample of youth who are US citizens but lived in mixed status families. They discovered that exposure to current violent immigration enforcement, such as witnessing a parent or loved one deported, significantly increases severe anxiety, fear, and depression among the sampled youth. These psychological effects extended beyond the immediate family members, as the trauma was felt even when enforcement actions targeted people in their community rather than someone directly inside the home. Their study also confirmed that anti-immigration stigma quickly becomes internalized, as adolescents in the study reported feeling ashamed of their background, immigrant family, and language (Lieberman et al., 2024). 

These effects could be expected to be felt especially strongly in DC due to the high prevalence of Latino youth immigrants who arrived a decade prior. Beginning in 2014, DC saw a large surge in unaccompanied youth, between the ages of 13-18, who came to America to unite with their parents, grandparents, or extended families. Castañeda explains that since this group of youth has reached a legal adult age, ICE agents might be ‘looking for an excuse to deport them’. As ICE revisits these old cases of unaccompanied minors, they are also using this as an opportunity to track down their immediate and extended families as well as their sponsors. Subsequently, the result is a painful cycle in which youth who once struggled to reunite with their family, once torn apart by borders, must now live in psychological torment and fear of losing each other once more. Current immigration enforcement practices are undoubtedly a form of psychological violence that produces hypervigilance, fear, and depression, and will cause long term trauma in immigrant communities. 

Looking ahead, it is clear that America is in dire need of immigration reform, one that is based on facts, research, and empirical evidence, rather than stereotypes. However, Castaneda notes that the general public is not to blame, as one cannot expect regular Americans to understand topics as complex as immigration law. Rather, this responsibility falls on our lawmakers who must put aside partisanship and focus on creating solutions that maintain the dignity of immigrants, while addressing the realities of the current day border.  

Castañeda explains the best form of immigration reform would be what he calls “generous amnesty”, or a broad pathway to legalization. Individuals and families who have been living in America for an extended period of time and have built entirely new lives must be given a path to citizenship. This is both a moral imperative but also it is a sentiment that, according to him, is largely supported by most Americans on both sides of the aisle. Recent Gallup polls confirm this fact, as 64% of Republicans and 91% of Democrats classify immigration as a positive (Gallup, 2025). A generous amnesty does not mean an open borders concept. Rather, it is a way to create legal paths to citizenship, so that migrants have other options rather than resorting to crossing the border. It is only natural that individuals and families desperate for survival will resort to the only option available to them.  

Second, the US is becoming an aging nation with a retiring workforce and a declining birth rate. With the declining population and lowered birth rates, many key industries, such as agriculture, are having projected worker shortages, unable to meet the labor demands. The Economic Policy Institute finds that “Achieving historically ‘normal’ GDP growth rates will be impossible, unless immigration flows are sustained” (Bivens 2025). Employment based immigration is one way through which the government can offset this issue. Granting a greater number of H-1B and H-2B visas can help balance these effects by bringing in younger and eager individuals who are ready to work in these essential positions. 

In conclusion, data, decades of research, the realities in DC, and Dr. Castañeda’s expertise make one point unmistakably clear. The narratives that dominate our national conversation about immigration are misinformed, outdated, and harmful to those who live with its consequences daily. The political rhetoric from our nation’s leaders creates instability, fear, and psychological trauma in immigrants while simultaneously distorting the public’s perception of the issue. Research continues to show that immigrants make America stronger, enriching society, unifying communities, and bettering the economy. Dr. Castañeda’s work reminds us that looking ahead, we must demand from our lawmakers a change that is rooted in the recognition of these principles and the creation of dignified paths to citizenship.  

As I reflect on my childhood and the little girl I was when I first arrived in America, I see no difference between myself and another little girl today arriving from El Salvador, Mexico, Honduras, Cuba, or Guatemala. We all carried the same fears of an unfamiliar place, the same uncertainty, the same dreams of a brighter, better future in this country. The only difference between the treatments we received was the country we came from and the political implications that country brought with it. It is time that we begin to approach immigration with greater empathy, remembering that we ourselves, or our parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents, once stood in these very same shoes. Latino immigrants have positively shaped this nation from the beginning of its history, and they continue to do so today. These facts are unmistakable, the human suffering is devastating, and the need for humane immigration reform has long been overdue. 

Maria Muradyan is a senior at UCLA studying Political Science with a strong interest in American politics and public policy. She participated in UCLA’s UCDC program in Washington, DC. Her interests include immigration policy and community advocacy, with a particular emphasis on how political institutions and policy frameworks shape social and economic outcomes. Through her research and writing, Maria aims to contribute to a more nuanced understanding of contemporary policy debates and their real-world implications. 

References 

Castañeda, Ernesto (2025, November 21st), Personal Interview on Immigration. 

Geiger, A. (2025, August 21). What the data says about immigrants in the U.S. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/08/21/key-findings-about-us-immigrants/  

Immigrants in the District of Columbia – American Immigration Council. (2025). American Immigration Council. https://map.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/locations/district-of-columbia/?utm_source=chatgpt.com  

The Marshall Project. (2024, October 21). Fact-checking Over 12,000 of Donald Trump’s Statements About Immigration. The Marshall Project. https://www.themarshallproject.org/2024/10/21/fact-check-12000-trump-statements-immigrants 

Light, M., & Miller, T. (2018). Does Undocumented Immigration Increase Violent Crime? Criminology, 56(2), 370–401. https://doi.org/10.1111/1745-9125.12175  

Henao, L. A., & Stanley, T. (2025, October 27). Immigration crackdown sows fear among Catholic church community in US capital. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/immigration-crackdown-catholic-church-washington-874e6deca9e54a4e14081c63adca7718  

Jamile Tellez Lieberman, Dsouza, N., Valdez, C. R., Pintor, J. K., Weisz, P., Carroll-Scott, A., & Martinez-Donate, A. P. (2024). Interior immigration enforcement experiences, perceived discrimination, and mental health of U.S.-citizen adolescents with Mexican immigrant parents. Journal of Latinx Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1037/lat0000263  

Saad, L. (2025, July 11). Surge in U.S. Concern About Immigration Has Abated. Gallup.com; Gallup. https://news.gallup.com/poll/692522/surge-concern-immigration-abated.aspx  

The U.S.-born labor force will shrink over the next decade: Achieving historically “normal” GDP growth rates will be impossible unless immigration flows are sustained. (2025). Economic Policy Institute. https://www.epi.org/publication/the-u-s-born-labor-force-will-shrink-over-the-next-decade-achieving-historically-normal-gdp-growth-rates-will-be-impossible-unless-immigration-flows-are-sustained/?utm_source  

One Year into Trump 2.0, Some Immigration Myths are Shattering, but Some of the Big Lies from the 2024 Trump Campaign Continue

By Ernesto Castañeda, PhD

One year into Trump’s second administration, significant developments have reshaped U.S. immigration policy. This piece examines key changes and events, clarifies factual misunderstandings, and analyzes how immigration has been framed and discussed in media coverage and political commentary.

Biden Did Not Have an Open Border

It is factually wrong to claim that “Biden had an open border policy and welcomed a record number of undocumented immigrants.” Although this claim is frequently repeated, it is misleading. Following the COVID-19 Pandemic, the U.S., along with the rest of the world, closed its borders for months. Under the pretense of public health, Title 42 was used to block access to asylum at the border. Thus, many individuals seeking asylum, attempting to reunite with family members, or workers reporting to jobs in the United States were trapped en route. Ultimately, a lot of people were forced to wait in Mexico for their opportunity to request asylum, and hundreds of thousands of people were deported from the border shortly after entry. 

Interestingly, after the end of the pandemic and the eventual lift of Title 42, members of the Biden administration came up with creative solutions to deal with a border surge — which again was not caused by the Biden administration but was a by-product of the pandemic and the terrible political, economic, and security conditions across much of Latin America and the Caribbean. In response, the Biden administration implemented the use of the CBP One mobile application, an app developed during the first Trump administration, which allowed individuals to obtain a spot in line to present themselves at border ports of entry for an orderly metered process to enter and request asylum. This was not a promise that all of them would be granted asylum or allowed to stay, but it did allow them to start their legal process. 

There were technical problems with this trial app, and in practice, it amounted to an online algorithmic lottery that created competition among hundreds of thousands of people for appointments. Nevertheless, it was an improvement from sleeping in camping tents during the winter while in line at border entrances in Mexico, or having notebooks where people wrote their names to hold their place in line on a first-come, first-served basis. The CBP One app also generated data on who sought to enter the country and on those permitted to enter. 

Other alternatives to detention, such as ankle bracelets and other tracking apps, allowed the U.S. government to identify newcomers and track their whereabouts. These tools have been used by ICE under the current Trump administration to locate and deport individuals who entered legally under these programs. As I said following Trump’s election, ICE agents would be tempted to detain and deport these easy-to-find immigrants in temporary or between immigration statuses in order to fulfill quotas while inflating the numbers of “dangerous” deportees.

Given hemispheric geopolitics, the Biden administration also created a legal program, known as CHNV, for certain people with family or contacts in the US who could offer financial support if needed and vouch for them to enter the U.S. legally through airports from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, to apply for asylum. These new programs were created for populations from countries to which the U.S. was sympathetic, and because these countries would not accept deportations. These programs shifted what could have been undocumented immigration flows into technically legal immigration flows. These new arrivals quickly received work permits so that they could work legally. This system became a lifeline for the U.S. economy and a lifeline for essential workers, allowing the U.S. economy and society to recover faster from the negative effects of the COVID pandemic.

Images of lines at the border and people sleeping in the streets of El Paso and in front of the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City after the busing of immigrants and the unfortunate statements from New York’s Mayor Adams seemed to make these arrivals unmanageable, but as we have researched at The Immigration Lab, new arrivals have managed to find jobs to pay for the housing, food, and other expenses and even send some money to family in their places of origin. These individuals enter with permission from the government, which knows who and where they are. They are not undocumented nor “illegal.”

The Biden administration deported hundreds of thousands of people from the border, and people from Mexico and many other countries were not allowed in. 

The Biden administration actively helped individuals fleeing crises in Cuba, Venezuela, Haiti, Nicaragua, as well as those displaced from violent conflict in Ukraine and Afghanistan. Most people were coming into the U.S./Mexico border, raising their hands, waving, presenting themselves to authorities at the border, giving their information, and then following the procedures and instructions that they were given. Many, but not all, of them were then legally allowed into the country, granted work visas soon after staying a few days on the streets of host cities like El Paso, New York City, or Washington, DC. The great majority of the new arrivals eventually found places to rent and obtained jobs in the broader economy. Today, many are either still working or have been deported with no legal grounds or reasons beyond fulfilling ICE quotas to reduce the number of people of color born abroad.

Any serious discussion of immigration must take into account the barriers preventing people from returning and rebuilding a life in their country of origin, including instability, political repression, and economic hardships in countries like Venezuela and Haiti. 

Claims that the Border is Now Secured 

Border communities in the United States have long been safe, as documented in our book “Immigration Realities.” It is true that fewer people are arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border seeking entry, but this is not purely a Trump effect.  There are five main reasons for this: 

1) The pandemic created a bottleneck influx of immigrants that eventually eased during the second part of the Biden administration. The programs discussed above (CBP One and CHNV) onboarded quickly those people who had been waiting at the border for years before. These numbers had already begun to decrease in the last months of the Biden administration due to policy changes and the organic leveling off from the bottleneck and pent-up demand. 

2) There was lower demand for people from Ukraine and Afghanistan to enter through the border. 

3) Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama, and Colombia were pressured by the U.S. to make it even harder to cross the Darien Gap and to get close to the U.S./Mexico border. Many of these countries used their military to control, dissuade migration, and deport people, often without due process. As a result, new arrivals stopped.

4) On January 20, 2025, Trump declared a national emergency at the border and sent the military to certain areas of the border. 

5) People from Latin America are largely no longer arriving seeking to apply for asylum because, contrary to international and U.S. law, people are not allowed to enter the country by applying for asylum at the borders. Title 42 conditions have become chronic. These immigration policies, along with the strong campaign rhetoric, dissuaded many from entering the country, whether illegally or legally.

At his January 20, 2026, press conference, Trump compared his desire for the U.S.-Mexico border to that of North Korea. Likewise, in order to carry out these mass deportations quickly, authoritative actions of going against civil liberties are needed, as seen in Minnesota. He also boasted that “the border is secure” and with “no legislation” on the topic. 

For those concerned about “chaos at the border,” or upset that some new migrants were entering with permission at the border while others could not previously, do not worry. Most of the new arrivals have lost their legal status; many have been detained or deported, or are in the process of moving back. Their absence will have negative consequences for the U.S. employers, neighbors, and communities that relied on them. 

All Immigrants Are Criminals

Trump promised he would deport “the worst of the worst.” Many voters, and even some immigrants themselves, supported and voted for Trump, believing that he was referring only to criminals, not themselves or their loved ones.  As 2026 is already showing, nothing could be further from the truth. Most people detained and deported have no criminal records. For Trump and MAGA, no immigrants from non-majority White countries were welcome or innocent. Even if they had an H1-B visa.

The goal to deport the “worst of the worst” to send ICE or the National Guard to reduce crime in cities was always a lie. There is no need to keep repeating it as either a supposed campaign promise or ICE’s mission, only to compare it to the excesses we have seen on the streets this year. We do not need to abolish ICE; we need amnesty to regularize people. Local police and courts can handle the small percentage of foreign-born individuals who commit crimes. At some point, Trump officials said that most immigrants detained had a criminal record or could build one in the future. In hindsight, the criminalization of migration that Trump and Vance were promoting during the 2024 presidential campaign was successful because they (barely) won the elections. But since the election, those happy with Trump closing the border were in the low 50s in polls at their highest points in time. On January 23, 2026, the views on the border are 50/50; nothing to campaign on. Most people who identify as Democrats and the great majority of independents oppose ICE. Regarding immigration policies in general, the administration is underwater, with many more people saying they have gone too far than supporting it.

In 2025, many Democratic elected federal politicians had been saying on TV interviews that Trump had won the immigration argument, meaning electorally but also implying empirically and in terms of policies. Immigration policies as a whole have been toxic. Contrary to the desire of people in the center right to deport all people without a current immigration status, detentions and deportations in the first year of this Trump administration have largely focused on people who entered legally with a visa or CBP One, people applying to renew their TPS, or asking for asylum. People have been arrested in immigration courts even when judges have not asked for removal. Some individuals have been arrested during their naturalization ceremonies just minutes before becoming citizens. This makes sense if one cares more about quotas and about removing people who are not seen as White before they become American citizens and/or have more U.S.-born children. Trump has also gone after birthright citizenship and has asked for denaturalizations —stripping citizenship from those who proactively jumped all the hoops to become citizens. These facts, along with the many dog whistles and open loudspeaker broadcasting to extreme right subcultures in public speeches, conferences, and X posts, show that the energy behind all these immigration policies is White Christian Nationalism. A dream about racial purity, one not too far from being open to using violence to achieve it, possibly leading to genocide if nobody opposes it. Fortunately, most Americans are against that. But many of those in favor of the current full immigration agenda openly say they do not want religious and racial minorities in the U.S., and even want more to be done. There is no staying neutral on these matters while people are shot at, imprisoned, and terrorized.

Unfortunately, in early 2026, I still hear some elected Democrat officials and operators saying that Trump “had won the immigration debate.” That is false. Others claim without evidence that Trump won, including in 2024, because of his promise to close the border. They forget the 2016 promise about the border wall and how little he built. They do not explain why anti-immigrant claims against caravans and Central American immigration did not help him win in 2000. Other problematic praises from Democratic officials come along the lines of saying, “Trump did a great job closing the border to undocumented immigrants, and that this is a good thing, that should continue.” MAGA without MAGA.

That is disrespectful to the undocumented immigrants and their communities, which would prefer to vote Democrat but are repulsed by such Trumpian comments. In another sense, polls and massive protests show that most people in the interior do not really care about the status of border crossings. What most people care about today is what we see in Minneapolis and what we saw before in Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, New Orleans, and many other places around the country. That is an excessive use of force by ICE to find our neighbors who happen to be undocumented. Violations of the Bill of Rights, unconstitutional stops, entering homes without judicial orders, and racial profiling.

Mass Deportations are Regular Politics

The number of undocumented people in the U.S., between 8 and 15 million, and probably around 11 million when Trump retook the Presidency constitutes around 3% of the overall population in the United States. For the U.S. to get rid of all its undocumented population, it would indeed need something related something akin to an authoritarian state. That is what we have started to see, and that is what most people don’t like because there are undocumented kids in schools. There are undocumented nurses. There are undocumented teachers, agricultural workers, construction workers, and also people with their own businesses providing professional services, designing and renovating homes, etc. So, in order to find them, we will have to trample the civil liberties of many citizens. Is it worth it? I don’t think so. So, rather than just calling for the abolition of ICE, reform, or a return to the status quo so that the minimum due processes are followed before deportation, we have to start talking again about amnesty, paths to citizenship, and expanding chosen ways for legal immigration. Because, despite a false rhetoric that this was about “illegality,” this second Trump administration has also limited the legal pathways for migration. He has limited people’s ability to seek asylum. He has really reduced the number of refugees, made it more difficult and expensive to obtain professional visas like the H-1B visa, and curtailed other forms of legal migration, including for international students, the diversity visa lottery, and other programs that had bipartisan consensus that they were good for the country. He has also limited the ability to apply for new immigrant visas and green cards for people from over 75 countries, plus a travel ban of at least 19 countries, and has declared places such as Belize as safe third countries, making gaining asylum in the U.S. more difficult if people passed through those countries and making it easier to deport people from third countries there.

So, it is a masquerade to say that this was only about illegal immigration or getting criminals off the streets. These have been other of the big lies of the 2016 and 2024 campaigns. It is time that we get rid of those lies and we talk about the truth. We need immigration reform that allows people who are already living and paying taxes in the U.S. to do so legally, safely, and as fully recognized members of society. And lastly, we must establish a new legal pathway for newcomers because the country needs workers to keep the U.S. population and economy growing. So that’s what we need today. That’s the truth about immigration.

Ernesto Castañeda is a Professor at American University, where he leads the Immigration Lab and the Center for Latin American and Latino Studies. He has been studying immigration scientifically for over 20 years and has written many books on the subject, among them “Reunited: Family Separation and Central American Youth Migration” and “Immigration Realities: Challenging Common Misperceptions.”

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