Letters From the March 11-28, 2019, Issue

Our Readers

Will Migrants Stay in Mexico?

Thanks to controversial new policies on both sides of the border, Mexico has become more than just a pitstop for asylum seekers heading north.

Annette Lin

There Are Still Migrant Children Separated From Their Families

The coercion and cruelty at the border is not over.

Michelle Chen

Washington Trained Guatemala’s Killers for Decades

The US Border Patrol played a key role in propping up Latin American dictatorships.

Greg Grandin and Elizabeth Oglesby

Washington Trained Guatemala’s Mass Murderers—and the Border Patrol Played a Role

Now two Guatemalan children have died under Border Patrol custody. But the agency’s role in Latin American oppression has a long history.

Greg Grandin and Elizabeth Oglesby

After the Caravan

For these young immigrants, getting to the border was just the beginning.

Annette Lin

Who Killed Jakelin Caal Maquín at the US Border?

She died of cardiac arrest, but the real killer was decades of US policy in support of Guatemalan regimes that have displaced and slaughtered the Maya population.

Greg Grandin and Elizabeth Oglesby

Why the Refugee Caravan Is So Big—and What We Need to Do About It

“Central America just couldn’t take it anymore.”

Laura Carlsen

Debora Barrios-Vasquez Took Sanctuary in a Manhattan Church to Avoid Deportation

Then she wrote a play about it—and gave the story a happier ending.

Laura Gottesdiener

Why Is Nicaragua’s Homicide Rate So Far Below That of Its Central American Neighbors?

It’s the revolution, stupid—which fostered innovative policing, along with the dedicated work of community organizers and women activists.

Roberto Lovato