Research Guides: Asylum Practicum—Country Conditions Research: Country conditions research

Country reports

United States federal government resources

U.S. Department of State: Human Rights Reports
"The annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, also known as the Human Rights Reports, cover internationally recognized individual, civil, political, and worker rights, as set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international agreements."
U.S. Department of State: Travel Advisories
The State Department provides travel advisories for all countries. Individual country advisories link to the safety and security report for that country. State Department provides travel advisories for all countries. Country Security Reports for individual countries can be found here.
U.S. Department of Justice Country Conditions Research
Compiles reports from various US government entities, foreign governments, and non-government organizations that may be relevant in removal hearings before Immigration Judges and the Board of Immigration Appeals.
U.S. Embassy in Venezuela
The US Embassy in Venezuela has posted an overview of the human rights situation in Venezuela, as well as various alerts. In English and Spanish.
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
USAID promoted and develops democratic institutions through international development and disaster assistance. It makes available data and reports on various topics, including A Study of Gang Disengagement in Honduras (2020). The Honduras page is here.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services RAIO Directorate Officer Training Manual on Particular Social Groups
This 2021 Refugee, Asylum, and International Operations Directorate (RAIO) manual "discusses membership in a particular social group and examines its interpretation in administrative and judicial case law." It discusses case law, policies and procedures, and elements for protected social group claims.
U.S. Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)
OFAC "administers and enforces economic and trade sanctions based on US foreign policy and national security goals." Its website includes sanctions lists, sanctions programs, and country information.
Central American Migration: Root Causes and U.S. Policy
This November 30, 2023 Congressional Research Service report discusses recent Central American Migration trends.

United Nations resources

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees: Country Conditions Reports
Includes recent reports on El Salvador (2016), Guatemala (2018), Honduras (2016), and Venezuela (2018). Even if the report content is not directly applicable, the extensive citations can be used to find country condition materials.
UNHCR Country Conditions Database
The United Nations Refugee Agency's database, with information on every country.
Refworld
The UNHCR's Refworld includes a large collection of reports, policy papers, case law and other documents relating to international and national legal frameworks. The documents are selected from UNHCR field offices, governments, international, regional and non-governmental organizations, academic institutions and judicial bodies.
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA): ReliefWeb
ReliefWeb "monitors and collects information from more than 4,000 key sources, including humanitarian agencies at the international and local levels, governments, think-tanks and research institutions, and the media." Its content includes "the latest reports, maps and infographics from trusted sources." OCHA provides information on topics such as displacement, human rights, and safety and security.
United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
The Countries tab contains recent news, publications, and other information related to human rights issues.
United Nations Official Document System
Compiles reports from various UN groups. Search for the country in the titles field, and put other terms of interest (such as "human rights") in the full-text search field.

Resources from organizations concerned with immigration and/or human rights

Amnesty International Report 2022/23: The State of the World's Human Rights
Includes sections on Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. Amnesty International's Research Archives also has relevant materials such as country profiles, news, and reports.
Human Rights Watch
Includes news and reports concerning human rights around the world. Material is available on a per-country basis (select "Countries" menu in toolbar; Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Venezuela are included).
UK Country Policy and Information Notes
This collection provides "guidance used by UK Visas and Immigration to make decisions in asylum and human rights applications." The guidance focuses on issues specific to that country (such as gangs in Honduras).
ACAPS
ACAPS provides world-wide humanitarian analysis. Click on the Crisis Updates tab to find individual country overviews and reports.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
RSF's goal is "to leave no breach of freedom of information unreported." For specific country information, under Get Informed, click on Countries and Regions.
Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
CPJ is "an independent, nonprofit organization that promotes press freedom worldwide." To find information on a specific region, under the News tab click on Countries and Regions and select a country to find alerts, reports, and analysis.
Center for Gender & Refugee Studies
The Center for Refugee and Gender Studies (CRGS) no longer maintains its Asylum Case Outcomes database, but attorneys (and law students) can request specific Technical Assistance. CGRS provides “practice advisories, country conditions research reports, expert declarations, and sample case documents” and “unpublished immigration judge and Board of Immigration Appeals decisions.”
Center for Global Democracy at Vanderbilt University
The Center for Global Democracy is "dedicated to advancing rigorous scientific research to deepen our understanding of how democracies emerge, function, and decline." The organization's LAPOP Lab has studies by country and the AmericasBarometer, which surveys democratic public opinion and behavior in the Americas.
Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada: Responses to Information Requests
"Canada's largest independent administrative tribunal," the IRB's "Responses to Information Requests (RIR) are research reports on country conditions. They are requested by IRB decision makers." This site includes seven years of reports, in English and French; older RIRs are available on the UNHCR's Refworld.
European Country of Origin Information Network (ecoi.net)
"ecoi.net, the country of origin information system of the Austrian Red Cross’ department ACCORD, aims at contributing to fair and efficient refugee status determination procedures by securing easy and fast access to high-quality and up-to-date country of origin information for all actors involved in asylum cases." ecoi.net pulls information from the UN, international NGOs, news services, and government agencies dealing with asylum and refugee issues.
Immigration Equality
Immigration Equality is “the nation’s leading LGBTQ and HIV-positive immigrant rights organization.” The Case Law page includes precedential LGBTQ/HIV+ asylum cases relating to El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Venezuela. Country condition materials also are available for El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. Immigration Equality also published an Asylum Manual titled Preparing LGBTQ and HIV Asylum, Withholding, and CAT Claims.
National Immigrant Justice Center
The NIJC provides information for immigrants and their attorneys. Under the For Attorneys tab, you can find general practice materials such as procedural updates and sample documents. Under the News and Research > Research tab, you can find policy briefs, white papers, and other reports. It also has a country conditions spreadsheet covering Central America and Mexico, but it hasn't been updated since 2019.
Freedom House
"Freedom House works to defend human rights and promote democratic change, with a focus on political rights and civil liberties." The Reports page includes materials on political rights and civil liberties, press freedoms, women's rights, and other topics around the world. The Honduras page is available here.
InSight Crime
A foundation that studies organized crime in Latin America and the Caribbean. The "Countries" page aggregates news on a per-country basis as well as information about particular organized crime groups.

Kids in Need of Defense (KIND)
KIND advocates for unaccompanied migrant and refugee children in the U.S. The organization has issued multiple reports on El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico, which are available on its Resources page. KIND issued a 2019 report on the state of violence against children in Honduras, with a focus on gang activity.

International Crisis Group
The International Crisis Group is an independent organization that "publish[es] comprehensive reports and timely commentaries to inform decision making and shape the public debate on how to limit threats to peace and security." Click on the hamburger menu in the top left to access reports by region. The Honduras landing page is here.
International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)
FIDH is an international human rights NGO. Its human rights reports are under the "Regions" tab. For Honduras, recent documents are limited to press releases, statements, and open letters.
Human Rights First
Human Rights First is an independent advocacy and action organization. It has compiled reports of human rights abuses here.
CIVICUS
"CIVICUS has worked for nearly two decades to strengthen citizen action and civil society throughout the world, especially in areas where participatory democracy and citizens' freedom of association are threatened." In addition to organizing, CIVICUS publishes global and country-specific reports.
Transparency International
Transparency International is a "global movement" "in over 100 countries to end the injustice of corruption by promoting transparency, accountability and integrity." Its website includes research, news, and analyses.
Internal Displacement Monitoring Center (iDMC)
The iDMC "provide[s] high-quality data, analysis and expertise on internal displacement with the aim of informing policy and operational decisions." In addition to its annual report, iDMC publishes information on specific countries. To access these, click on the hamburger menu in the top right corner. Reports are found under Data>Country Profiles.
Asylos
"Asylos is a UK-based charity that conducts research for asylum claims worldwide." They produce case-based and country-of-origin research reports, and every year they public one thematic research report. You must be a registered user to gain access to reports, so register ahead of time to ensure access.

Norwegian Refugee Council
The Norwegian Refugee Council is an independent organization doing humanitarian work in dozens of countries. It has issued reports (some in Spanish) on topics such as how violence has affected the education of children in Honduras and El Salvador. Additional resources on El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Venezuela can be found by keyword search here or by following links from the "Where we work" tab's menu.

Creative Associates International
Creative Associates provides "on-the-ground development services and forges partnerships to deliver sustainable solutions to global challenges." Much of its work focuses on how its programs are improving conditions within countries. Here is a 2019 report on migration in the northern triangle countries.

Resources with a focus on Latin America or the Americas

Stanford Migration and Asylum Lab
The Stanford Migration & Asylum Lab publishes scholarly conditions bulletins for Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. These bulletins include asylum-related issues such as gender-based violence, violence against LGBTQ people, political persecution, and police and state corruption.
Wilson Center Reports on the Americas
The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars' Latin American Program publishes Reports on the Americas, which provide "in-depth analyses of key issues for Latin America and the Caribbean."
Organization of American States: Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (OAS/IACHR)
The IACHR's "mission is to promote and protect human rights in the American hemisphere." It publishes thematic reports on particular issues (e.g. "Internal Displacement in the Northern Triangle of Central America" (2019) and "Organized Crime and the Rights of Children, Adolescents, and Young People in Northern Central America" (2023)), country reports (including a 2019 report on Honduras), reports on cases, and more.
Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA)
WOLA is a research and advocacy organization advocating for human rights in the Americas. Reports (called "Publications") are under the Analysis tab. "Halfway to the U.S.: A Report from Honduras on Migration" was published in 2023. "Halfway to the U.S.: A Report from Honduras on Migration" was published in 2023.
North American Congress on Latin America (NACLA)
"For more than 50 years, NACLA has been a leading source of English-language research and analysis on Latin America and the Caribbean. Our mission has always been to publish historically and politically informed research and analysis on the region and its complex and changing relationships with the United States." All publications in the Honduras tag are here.
The International Institute on Race, Equality, and Human Rights
Race and Equality "is an international nongovernmental organization that works with partner organizations and activists in Latin America to promote and protect the human rights of populations in marginalized conditions, whether due to their national or ethnic origin, their sexual orientation or gender identity." While they have not published any reports on Honduras specifically, you can access regionally applicable publications under the Resource Center tab > Publications. Under "Countries" select "Regional" and search without entering keywords.
Centro de Derechos de Mujeres (CDM)
CDM is an autonomous, femilist organization fighting for women's rights in Honduras. It publishes annual statistics here. . In Spanish.

Latin America Working Group
The Latin America Working Group's mission is to "ensure that U.S. policies advance human rights, peace, and social, environmental, and economic justice in Latin America and the Caribbean." The Analysis tab includes reports and policy memos on human rights issues in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico.

Monitor Fuerza Letal (Lethal Force Use Monitor Initiative)
Monitor Fuerza Letal covers lethal force use in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, Jamaica, Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela. Most of its 2022 reports are in Spanish. It also provides studies and discussions, some of which are in English, but many of which are in Spanish.

Covenant House
Covenant House provides support for young people in North and Central America facing homelessness, and for survivors of trafficking. Its website includes case studies, research, and stories related to youth homelessness and trafficking in North and Central America. The Central American affiliates (called Casa Alianza or La Alianza) are located in Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras.
Cristosal
Cristosal is a non-profit, non-governmental organization founded by Anglican bishops with a human rights arm an offices in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. The Spanish-language version of the website has a larger number of investigative reports and resources than does the English-language version.

Country-specific resources

Congressional Research Service Reports
The Congressional Research Service regularly compiles reports on foreign countries. Search for the country's name to see the full array of reports on it; a sample is below.
Ecuador: Background and U.S. Relations (updated May 2, 2023)
Congressional Research Service report.

El Salvador: Background and U.S. Relations (updated July 1, 2020)
Congressional Research Service report.

Honduras: Background and U.S. Relations (November 30, 2023)
Congressional Research Service report.

Mexico: Background and U.S. Relations (updated May 17, 2023)
Congressional Research Service report.
Nicaragua (updated Apr. 5, 2023)
Congressional Research Service report.
Venezuela: Political Crisis and U.S. Policy (updated Aug. 7, 2022)
Congressional Research Service report.
Venezuela: Background and U.S. Relations (updated Dec. 6, 2022)
Congressional Research Service report.

Guatemala: Political and Socioeconomic Conditions and U.S. Relations (updated Mar. 20, 2019)
Congressional Research Service report.

Fundación de Estudios para la Aplicación del Derecho (FESPAD)
FESPAD is an El Salvador-based organization that advocates for human rights. Part of El Equipo Regional de Monitoreo y Análisis de Derechos Humano en Centroamérica, FESPAD publishes reports based on the organizations' monitoring and analysis of human rights issues in the region. In Spanish.

Legitimidad y Confianzia Pública de la Policía en El Salvador
This 2017 report on El Salvador police was co-published by Florida International University's Kimberly Green Latin American and Caribbean Center and the Instituto Universitario de Opinión Pública of the Universidad Centroamicana. In Spanish.

Instituto de Derechos Humanos de la UCA (IDHUCA)
The IDHUCA, which is dedicated to promoting human rights in El Salvador, has issued some human rights reports. In Spanish.

Guatemala Human Rights Commission
Includes reports on various areas of human rights in Guatemala.
Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala (NISGUA)
The "Resources" page includes reports on justice and rights issues in Guatemala.

Comisionado Nacional de los Derechos Humanos (CONADEH)
CONADEH is Honduras's ombudsman, "the organ of the Honduran State that guarantees the respect and promotion of the human dignity of all and all the inhabitants and migrants, assuring them the progressive effectiveness and adequate protection of their human rights and fundamental freedoms." CONADEH publishes Annual Reports (which discuss human rights) and special reports on specific issues such as women and displacement. Reports can be found under "Biblioteca Virtual." In Spanish. NOTE: Your browser may flag this as a suspicious website, but it is an official website of the Honduras government.

Foro Social de Deuda Externa y Desarrollo de Honduras (FOSDEH)
FOSDEH conducts economic and social research in Honduras in order to inform public policy. Its publications skew heavily toward the economic, but some have a human rights bent, such as the November 2023 report Corrupción – Migración: Causas Profundas Asociadas y Relacionadas. In Spanish.

Mexican Commission for the Defense and Promotion of Human Rights (CMDPDH)
The CMDPDH is an independent human rights organization. Its Publicaciones tab includes letters, books, legal opinions, amici, reports, and manuals on multiple human rights issues, including torture and military brutality. In Spanish.
La Corriente Somos Todas Collective
La Corriente is a feminist organization monitoring rights in Nicaragua. One of its projects is Observatorio LGBTIQ+, which issues periodic reports on human rights of LGBTIQ+ people in Nicaragua. The most recent report of Observatorio de violaciones a dereches humanos de personas LGBTIQ+ en Nicaragua was issued in December 2022. In Spanish.
Red de Desarollo Sostenible (RDS)
RDS was a project of the UN Development Program. RDS Honduras and RDS Nicaragua develop programs and projects with a focus on sustainable human development. In 2011 RDS Nicaragua released a report Agenda Minima: Derechos Humanos de las Personas de la Diversidad Sexual. In Spanish.
Defiende Venezuela
Defiende Venezuela is an NGO that educates and trains the public and other activists about the human rights situation in Venezuela. They publish both written and video reports and testimony on their site. In Spanish.
Dejusticia
“Dejusticia is a Colombia-based research and advocacy organization dedicated to the strengthening of the rule of law and the promotion of social justice and human rights in Colombia and the Global South.” Dejusticia conducts research, publishes studies and policy proposals, and runs advocacy campaigns. In English and Spanish, with reports in Spanish.
PROVEA (Venezuelan Program for Education and Action on Human Rights)
PROVEA is a Caracas-based NGO that provides legal assistance and educational support to victims of human rights. They publish a bulletin called “Crisis en Venezuela.” In English and Spanish.
COFAVIC (Comité de Familiares de Víctimas del Caracazo)
Created in the wake of the Caracazo protests in 1989, COFAVIC is a Venezuelan NGO that provides legal and psychological support to victims of human rights violations. It also publishes reports and other educational materials under the “publicaciones” tab. In Spanish.
Economist Intelligence Unit Country Report
Issued monthly, this publication "[p]rovides comparative economic indicators and information on democracy and quality of life in Honduras."

Secondary sources

AILALink
AILALink is a research database created and maintained by the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) providing fully searchable access to immigration-related statutes, regulations, and case law; agency correspondence and manuals; AILA/government liaison minutes; immigration forms; and other AILA publications. Access primary, secondary, and guidance resources essential to effective immigration law practice, including Kurzban's Immigration Law Sourcebook, Business Immigration: Law and Practice, and AILA's Asylum Primer.
This resource is only accessible through the law school's on-campus network.

Books

Law of Asylum in the United States (Westlaw)
"This treatise, with new cases and analysis incorporated every year, comprehensively discusses recent developments in the law, including a careful look at federal district and circuit court case law, published and unpublished Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) and immigration judge decisions, and decisions of international tribunals and agencies (e.g., the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and decisions of other state parties to the Refugee Convention).." Written by Deborah E. Anker, the founder and director of Harvard's Immigration and Refugee Clinic. Regularly updated (current edition dated 2023).
Asylum Case Law Sourcebook (Westlaw)
"[S]ummarizes important federal court asylum decisions since 1980 and includes more than 1,000 decisions categorized by subject matter. It outlines the most important elements of the court's holding, provides the full citation and case history, lists the country of origin of the asylum seeker, and highlights significant topics covered by the case." Does not include BIA decisions. Current through September 2023.
Kurzban’s Immigration Law Sourcebook, 16th ed. (2018; print)
Law Library Reserves (ask at desk), KF4819 K87 2018.
Appendix H (pp. 2232–2243) lists research resources from government agencies, NGOs, and other sources. The region-specific (p. 2238) and theme-specific (p. 2239) sites lists may be of particular interest. The most recent edition of Kurzban's is available through the AILALink database (see description above).
Infiltrados: Crónica de la Corruptión de law PNC (2015; print)
This book describes and analyzes corruption within El Salvador's Policía Nacional Civil. Authored by Hector Silva Avalos, a journalist and co-director of Revista Facum. In Spanish; not in Temple Libraries, but available via E-ZBorrow.

Crime, Violence and the State in Latin America by Jonathan D. Rosen; Hanna Samir Kassab
Call Number: ebook available through Charles Library
ISBN: 1000164330
Publication Date: 2020-08-03
In this succinct text, Jonathan D. Rosen and Hanna Samir Kassab explore the linkage between weak institutions and government policies designed to combat drug trafficking, organized crime, and violence in Latin America. Using quantitative analysis to examine criminal violence and publicly available survey data from the Latin American Public Opinion Project (LAPOP) to conduct regression analysis, individual case studies on Colombia, Mexico, El Salvador, and Nicaragua highlight the major challenges that governments face and how they have responded to various security issues. Rosen and Kassab later turn their attention to the role of external criminal actors in the region and offer policy recommendations and lessons learned.
Latin American Politics and Development by Harvey F. Kline (Editor); Christine J. Wade (Editor)
Call Number: ebook available through Charles Library
ISBN: 9781000620559
Publication Date: 2022-08-23
For over forty years, Latin American Politics and Development has kept instructors and students abreast of current affairs and changes in Latin America. Now in its tenth edition, this authoritative yet accessible introduction has been updated throughout. Organized on a country-by-country basis, Latin American Politics and Development offers instructors maximum flexibility in organizing courses. Revisions to the Tenth Edition include: An updated theoretical framework to explain changes in the region, including discussions of electoral systems and political actors. Discussions on presidential, parliamentary, and municipal election cycles throughout the region from 2017 through early 2022. Coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic. Examination on the regional decline in democratic norms and practices. A look at the impact of the Trump administration on regional relations, including the decline in democracy. Updates on race, Indigenous groups, women, Afro-Latin Americans, contemporary social movements, religious and other non-elite groups.
Mano Dura by Sonja Wolf
Call Number: HV6439.S2 W65 2017 (at Charles Library)
ISBN: 9781477311219
Publication Date: 2017-01-31
In 1992, at the end of a twelve-year civil war, El Salvador was poised for a transition to democracy. Yet, after longstanding dominance by a small oligarchy that continually used violence to repress popular resistance, El Salvador's democracy has proven to be a fragile one, as social ills (poverty chief among them) have given rise to neighborhoods where gang activity now thrives. Mano Dura examines the ways in which the ruling ARENA party used gang violence to solidify political power in the hands of the elite-culminating in draconian "iron fist" antigang policies that undermine human rights while ultimately doing little to address the roots of gang membership.
State of War by William Wheeler
Call Number: HV6439.E4 W44 2020 (at Charles Library)
ISBN: 9781733623728
Publication Date: 2020-01-14
Wheeler interviewed gang members, frustrated intelligence officers, and crime investigators who give chilling insider reports of how corruption at the highest levels has helped the gangs become stronger, richer, and more influential than ever. State of War makes vividly clear why Salvadorans are fleeing their country, and why Trump's harsh immigration and asylum policies may only empower the gangs more.
Mano Dura Policies in Latin America by Jonathan D. Rosen & Sebastian Antonino Cutrona, eds.
Call Number: ebook
ISBN: 1000901092
Publication Date: 2023
Contributors examine the factors behind mano dura politics and its impact in nine Latin America countries, including Mexico, Honduras, and El Salvador.
Extracting Honduras by James J. Phillips
Call Number: ebook
ISBN: 9781793630339
Publication Date: 2022-01-04
With a focus on Honduras, James J. Phillips explores the deeper causes of the massive emigration of Central Americans to the United States. Going beyond the frequently given reasons for migration, Phillips provides a detailed account of how the frenzied extraction of natural resources has created massive community displacement, dependency, poverty, and vulnerability, while encouraging corruption, violence, gang recruitment, drug trafficking, militarization of Honduran society, and systematic repression of popular protest and resistance. Highlighting how this situation is tied to the colonial (or imperial) extractive relationship of Honduras to the United States, Phillips contends that the usual policy of development aid and investment to stem migration will only worsen the conditions that create migration.
Mortal Doubt by Anthony W. Fontes
Call Number: ebook available through Charles Library
ISBN: 9780520969599
Publication Date: 2018-11-06
The fear of violent crime dominates Guatemala City. In the midst of unprecedented levels of postwar violence, Guatemalans struggle to fathom the myriad forces that have made life in this city so deeply insecure. Born out of histories of state terror, migration, and US deportation, maras (transnational gangs) have become the face of this new era of violence. They are brutal organizations engaged in extortion, contract killings, and the drug trade, and yet they have also become essential to the emergence of a certain kind of social order. Drawing on years of fieldwork inside prisons, police precincts, and gang-dominated neighborhoods, Anthony W. Fontes demonstrates how gang violence has become indissoluble from contemporary social imaginaries and how these gangs provide cover for a host of other criminal actors. Ethnographically rich and unflinchingly critical, Mortal Doubt illuminates the maras' role in making and mooring collective terror in Guatemala City while tracing the ties that bind this violence to those residing in far safer environs.
The Illegal Drug Trade and Global Security by Hanna Samir Kassab & Jonathan D. Rosen, eds.
Call Number: ebook
ISBN: 9783031155628
Publication Date: 2022
Several chapters discuss Latin American countries, including Honduras, El Salvador, Mexico, and Colombia.
Things Are Never So Bad That They Can't Get Worse by William Neuman
Call Number: F2329 .N48 2022 (at Charles Library)
ISBN: 9781250266163
Publication Date: 2022-03-15
A nuanced and deeply-reported account of the collapse of Venezuela, and what it could mean for the rest of the world. Things Are Never So Bad That They Can't Get Worse is a fluid combination of journalism, memoir, and history that chronicles Venezuela's tragic journey from petro-riches to poverty. Author William Neuman witnessed it all firsthand while living in Caracas and serving as the New York Times Andes Region Bureau Chief.
LGBTQ Politics in Nicaragua: Revolution, Dictatorship, and Social Movements by Karen Kampwirth
Call Number: ebook available through Charles Library
ISBN: 9780816545254
Publication Date: 2022-06-21
The modern political tumult of Nicaragua includes revolution, dictatorship, and social movements. LGBTQ Politics in Nicaragua explores the untold stories of the LGBTQ community of Nicaragua and its role in the recent political history of the country. Karen Kampwirth is a renowned scholar of the Nicaraguan Revolution, who has been writing at the intersection of gender and politics for decades. In this chronological telling of the last fifty years of political history in Nicaragua, Kampwirth deploys a critical new lens: understanding politics from the perspective of the country's LGBTQ community. Kampwirth details the gay and lesbian guerrillas in the 1960s and 1970s, Nicaragua's first openly gay television wizard in the 1980s, and the attempts by LGBTQ revolutionaries to create a civil rights movement and the subsequent squashing of that movement by the ruling Sandinista party. She analyzes the shifting political alliances, the rise of strong feminist and LGBTQ movements in Nicaragua, and the attempts by the administration of Daniel Ortega to co-opt and control these movements. Ultimately, this is a story of struggle and defeat, progress and joy. This timely book provides a well-documented review of LGBTQ politics in modern Nicaragua, helping us to see the Sandinista Revolution and its ongoing aftermath in a new light.

Journals and Articles

Journal of Democracy
The Journal of Democracy calls itself "the world’s leading publication on the theory and practice of democracy." It publishes articles dealing with every global region on the topics including political institutions, parties and elections, civil society, ethnic conflict, and the threat posed by authoritarianism. Its most recent publication on Honduras is here.
Family Fleeing: Family Membership as a Basis for Asylum
This 2020 article, authored by Christine Natoli and published in the Journal of Law and Public Affairs, discusses how immigration law treats membership in a particular social group, when that group is a family.
Evaluating Family-Basd Particular Social Group Claims for Asylum
This article, authored by the Law Offices of Grinberg & Segal PLLC, looks at recent cases in discussing where family-based claims fail and succeed.
BIA Reiterates that Family Membership Itself Must Be a Central Reason for Persecution Based on Family PSG
This December 2023 article from Interpreter Releases Daily (available on Westlaw) discusses the impact of the 2023 case Matter of M-R-M-S-.

Other Resources

Project Torogoz: Extensive Hacking of Media & Civil Society in El Salvador with Pegasus Software
A 2022 CitizenLab report detailing spyware installed on the phones of journalists in El Salvador.
Elizabeth G. Kennedy Blog
Elizabeth Kennedy is a social scientist who studies the experience and needs of children and migrants in and from Central America, with a particular focus on the Northern Triangle. Her blog lists sources for El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, including links to local news, advocacy organizations, reports, and other blogs. Note that the blog has not been updated since April 2021.

Administrative decisions and materials

Westlaw: Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) Materials
Search BIA decisions for similar cases; some discuss country conditions materials used in the decision. Search tip: Boolean searching for country of interest and “report” and other similar terms, not just “country conditions,” will yield better results.
Lexis Plus: Immigration Law Adminstrative Materials
Includes BIA decisions, divided into precedential and non-precedential, combined with Administrative Appeal Office decisions.
HeinOnline: BIA Precedent Decisions
HeinOnline's BIA Precedent Decisions are indexed by topic for easy searching. Current through May 2020.
Board of Immigration Appeals decisions on family-based particular social groups (from the Departent of Justice website)
Matter of M-R-M-S-
Matter of L-E-A-
Matter of L-E-A- III

History/background

Cambridge History of Latin America
"The Cambridge History of Latin America is the first authortative large-scale history of the whole of Latin America - Mexico and Central America, the Spanish-speaking Caribbean (and Haiti), Spanish South America and Brazil, from the first contacts between the native peoples of the Americas and Europeans in the late-fifteenth and early-sixteenth centuries to the present day. The essays from Volumes I–IX, revised and updated, are brought together in Volume X: Bibliography."
UCLA: Hispanic American Periodicals Index (HAPI)
Produced by the Latin American Institute at UCLA, "[t]he Hispanic American Periodicals Index (HAPI) provides bibliographic citations to the contents of scholarly journals published around the world on Latin America, the Caribbean, and Latinx communities in the United States since the late 1960s. Our coverage includes everything from political, economic, and social issues to the arts and humanities."
Handbook of Latin American Studies
"The Handbook of Latin American Studies (HLAS) is a selective bibliography with annotations and bibliographic essays provided by 130 professors of anthropology (archeology and ethnology), art, geography, government and politics, history, international relations, literature, music, philosophy, political economy, and sociology; and edited by librarians in the Hispanic Reading Room at the Library of Congress."

Additional Research Sources

HeinOnline International and Non-U.S. Law Journals
HeinOnline, in addition to U.S. law journal materials, has articles in Spanish (some of which have been translated into English).

Temple Libraries
Temple's library holdings contain books, databases, journals, and other sources for additional research.

Temporary Protected Status (TPS) Materials

Suggested materials from Kevin Amaya

National TPS Alliance
The National TPS Alliance advocates for TPS on a national level. Its website contains links to government documents about TPS and materials related to the TPS lawsuit.

'It IS Bad There': Emails Reveal Trump Officials Pushing for Immigrant Protection Terminations (Aug. 27, 2018)
CNN article and video discussing recently-released U.S. government documents concerning TPS.

Docket for Ramos v. Nielsen (TPS Lawsuit)
Link to Ramos v. Nielsen docket on Bloomberg Law. To retrieve documents, click on the "View" or "Request" links; Bloomberg Law does not charge law students to retrieve documents.

Docket for Bhattarai v. Nielsen (TPS Lawsuit)
Link to Bhattarai v. Nielsen docket on Bloomberg Law. To retrieve documents, click on the "View" or "Request" links; Bloomberg Law does not charge law students to retrieve documents.