In today’s episode, we head to the border and below to examine the root causes and circumstances that factor into immigration patterns, from economic opportunity to asylum. Max speaks with Maureen Meyer from The Washington Office on Latin America, known as WOLA, a D.C. based organization that advocates for human rights in the Americas. Meyer serves as WOLA’s Vice President for Programs, working with senior staff to develop policy priorities and strategies to advance human rights and social justice in Latin America. We’re still following the blended episodic and Phone A Friend approach for this series, so Max begins with a brief discussion about the complex nature of immigration policy and the historical relationship between the United States and Latin America.

Chapters

Intro: 00:00:36

Episode Section: 00:03:30

Interview: 00:21:20

Resources

WNYC: WNYC's Suds & Civics project brings political dialogue to laundromats across the NY metro area

American Immigration Council: CBP One: An Overview

Pew Research Center: Migrant encounters at U.S.-Mexico border hit record high at end of 2023

Human Rights Watch: Venezuela: Events of 2023

Migration Policy Institute: Shifting Patterns and Policies Reshape Migration to U.S.-Mexico Border in Major Ways in 2023 

The Baffler: Enigmas of Ecuador | Pablo Ospina Peralta 

WhiteHouse.gov: FACT SHEET: The United States and Central America: Honoring Our Commitments

Forbes: 2024: A New Age For Venezuela-U.S. Relations 

Gobierno de Mêxico: México y Venezuela estrechan cooperación en materia migratoria

El País: United States reactivates mass deportations of Venezuelans to relieve pressure on the border with Mexico 

Council on Foreign Relations: Central America’s Turbulent Northern Triangle 

Council on Foreign Relations: Climate Change and Regional Instability in Central America 

Congressional Research Service: Central American Migration: Root Causes and U.S. Policy 

Vice: The Violence Central American Migrants Are Fleeing Was Stoked by the US

Time: Welcome to the Immigration Election 

Pew Research Center: How Americans View the Situation at the U.S.-Mexico Border, Its Causes and Consequences

Brookings: The collapse of bipartisan immigration reform: A guide for the perplexed

The Hill: Manchin: Failed border bill factored into decision not to run for White House

DW News: Ecuador raid on embassy in Mexico

Yahoo Finance:Border crisis might be boon for economy 

WOLA: Migration in the Americas: 'A root causes strategy only for Central America falls far short of addressing the type of migration we are seeing'

Congressional Budget Office: Director’s Statement on the Budget and Economic Outlook for 2024 to 2034 

WOLA

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