Washington Office on Latin America - WOLA

10/05/2026

🚨 Big Bend National Park: a win for the community, and for evidence-based border policy.

On October 2, a federal judge in El Paso granted a preliminary injunction halting border wall construction in and near Big Bend National Park and suspending DHS's waivers of environmental, cultural, and other protections.

WOLA's Adam Isacson testified in court as a data expert, building on two expert reports and 15 years of WOLA research on U.S.-Mexico border and migration data. DHS's waiver authority applies only "in areas of high illegal entry." The numbers show Big Bend is not one:

📊 The Big Bend Sector is one-quarter of the U.S.-Mexico border.
📊 Since 1960, it has accounted for about 1/60 of migrant apprehensions.
📊 It has accounted for about 1/100 of non-marijuana drug seizures.

Ranchers, tour operators, preservationists, and local officials from across the political spectrum opposed this project. For now, the bulldozers are stopped while the case proceeds. 🛑

This is why our work matters.

10/02/2026

Brazil votes this Sunday, October 4. Voters will elect a president, all 513 members of the Chamber of Deputies, two-thirds of the Senate, and every state governor.

Polls show the presidential race between Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro neck and neck, with public safety, political representation, and U.S.-Brazil tensions all shaping the campaign. If no candidate wins a majority, a runoff follows on October 25.

The carousel covers five things to know. Read the full article here: https://www.wola.org/analysis/five-things-to-know-about-brazils-october-4-election/

10/02/2026

On Tuesday, October 6, WOLA is joining Al Jazeera's Fault Lines for a screening of Killing at Sea in Washington, DC.

After the film, WOLA's Director for Drug Policy, John Walsh, will join a Q&A with Josh Rushing of Fault Lines and Amanda Klasing of Amnesty International USA.

📅 Tuesday, October 6, 6PM
📍 Busboys and Poets, 2021 14th St NW, Washington, DC

If you work on drug policy, human rights, or U.S.-Latin America relations, we'd love to see you there.

10/01/2026

Our logos look different today. We've updated them to mark the start of WOLA's 2026 Human Rights Awards Month. 🏆

This October, we're honoring Fundación del Río, a Nicaraguan organization that has spent decades defending the environment and standing with Indigenous and Afro-descendant communities, despite exile, censorship, and state harassment.

Here's what's coming this month: stories, interviews, analysis, and multimedia content on their work, plus a keynote address by Francisco Goldman. 🎤

To stay informed and find all of our content in one place, visit: https://www.wola.org/get-involved/human-rights-awards-month/

Learn more about WOLA's 2026 Human Rights Awards Month and join us in celebrating the defense of democracy across the Americas!

09/29/2026

🇨🇴 New WOLA analysis: Colombia's August 10 earthquake devastated conflict-affected regions and now a hardline security shift is putting those same communities at even greater risk.

Based on interviews with 20 community leaders, the piece looks at gaps in disaster response, rising threats to children, and concerns over a reconstruction plan moving forward without consultation with Afro-Colombian and Indigenous authorities.

📖 Read more: https://www.wola.org/analysis/risks-for-communities-in-conflict-zones-increase-due-to-colombias-natural-and-political-earthquakes/

This comparison captures a fear shared by leaders across insecure rural and urban areas in Colombia. The physical destruction caused by the August 10 earthquake is colliding with a sharp change in the national security policy. To understand what this means for civilians, WOLA interviewed 20 leaders....

09/25/2026

🇲🇽 Twelve years after the enforced disappearance of 43 students in Ayotzinapa, their families are still searching for truth and justice. 🕯️

Our new analysis looks at the progress and setbacks in the Ayotzinapa case, as well as Mexico’s broader disappearance crisis, including recent developments at the United Nations.

Swipe through the carousel for a snapshot of the key issues, then read the full analysis for the bigger picture. ➡️

🔗 Read the full article: https://www.wola.org/analysis/the-struggle-continues-the-search-for-truth-and-justice-in-the-ayotzinapa-case-and-mexicos-disappearance-crisis/

09/24/2026

🎥 Watch WOLA President Carolina Jiménez Sandoval on a panel at the CUNY Graduate Center, alongside Colombia's Human Rights Ombudsperson Iris Marín Ortiz and the Inter-American Development Bank's Eduardo Vergara, on how states can reduce violence in Latin America without eroding rights or accountability. 👇

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lhJQZ_QbgQ

Too many current political discussions start from the premise that ...

09/18/2026

📅 REMINDER: Join us Monday, September 21 at 4:00 PM in New York for "Retaking the Security Agenda in Latin America"

Too many current political discussions start from the premise that protecting populations from violence requires restricting rights or eroding checks on executive power. This side event challenges that premise, demonstrating how states and civil society can deliver tangible, short-term improvements in citizen security without sacrificing civic space or accountability, with a focus on recent experiences in Latin America.

🕓 4:00 PM, Monday, September 21
📍 New York
🌐 In English and Spanish, with interpretation provided via Zoom. Those who require interpretation should bring a phone with earbuds and install the Zoom app.

📧 To register, email [email protected]

09/18/2026

📢 🇻🇪 Civil society is calling on the UN Human Rights Council to renew the mandate of the Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela (FFM) and the OHCHR for two more years.

Why now? Venezuela's political context has shifted, but the structures that enabled human rights violations haven't.

Without renewal, there's no independent body left to investigate, document, and push for accountability. ⚖️

Swipe to see what's at stake and why this renewal matters.

09/15/2026

📣 Today is International Democracy Day, a moment to reflect on what it takes to defend democracy across the Americas and on the people doing that work under real risk.

This year, WOLA is continuing what we started last year: dedicating the month of October to honoring this year's Human Rights Award winners, culminating in a virtual event on October 28 at 12:00pm ET.

This year's winners will be announced this week. Stay tuned. 🏆