In response to President Calderón's meeting with President Obama and address to Congress, LAWG, WOLA, and our counterparts in Mexico issued a joint statement urging our respective elected officials to move beyond the empty platitudes that typically characterize such meetings and instead capitalize on this historic visit to make concrete and meaningful commitments to transform the rhetoric of shared responsibility into reality. Given the shared challenges posed by organized crime, arms trafficking and illicit drug use, it is critical that both countries move beyond ineffective and worn-out strategies and propose concrete, comprehensive solutions to address the root causes of these problems.
There are some memories you never forget, and some of those memories may even change the course of your life. I’ll never forget the excitement of seeing my first National Football League game. A twelve year old at the time, my father and I glimpsed perfection in the Metrodome of Minneapolis as the Minnesota Vikings embarrassed the Chicago Bears by a score of 48-22 – my fate was sealed as a life-long Vikings fan.
Then my family moved to Arizona – so I tried to acclimate as best I could by making the Phoenix Suns my basketball team. But with the proximity of the U.S.-Mexico border beckoning for my acknowledgment of reality, I suddenly found myself seated in a circle with the women and children of Lomas del Poleo, listening to their struggle with the injustices of minimalist wages and blatant civil and human rights violations committed against women both as they work in and travel to the maquiladoras that figure ever so prominently along the Mexican landscape that bumps up against the international line.
Micheline Fleuron lives with her two boys in the median on the road in
Carrefour, Haiti. Her home, the pile of rubble across the street from
where she is now, collapsed during the earthquake and killed her
seven-year-old daughter. Before the earthquake Micheline had a small
business selling food items. She lost that in the earthquake. She says
food aid has been distributed near where she is but she has not been
able to get any of it. She says hunger is difficult and "dust from the
street is eating us."
On March 24th, President Obama sent his request to Congress for a
supplemental spending bill to support relief and reconstruction efforts
in Haiti. Millions of people in Haiti like Micheline could use that aid
to feed their children and begin rebuilding their lives, but Congress
still has not passed this crucial bill.
About two weeks ago there was an explosion aboard BP's Deepwater Horizon oil rig, tragically killing at least 11 rig-workers and eventually triggering a pipe-break that's now spewing an estimated 5,000 barrels into the Gulf of Mexico daily. As the oil slick has spread from its epicenter 50 or so miles off the coast of Louisiana to the Gulf state's shores, so have concerns that the disaster could severely harm the livelihoods of individuals--fishermen, for instance--and industries who depend on the vibrant, wildlife-rich ecosystem.
As Colombians go to the polls May 30th, they will elect a president who
will have a historic opportunity to change the lives of millions of
Colombians affected in profound and tragic ways by the country’s
enduring armed conflict. The Latin America Working Group and partner
organizations have sent an open letter to Colombia’s presidential and
vice presidential candidates to ask them how they will lead the nation
in building a more just and inclusive society that promotes and respects
the rights of all its citizens.
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