
Biden Rethinks Central America Strategy
Corrupt local elites thwarted some engagement efforts of the past decade, Biden’s new special envoy wrote.

El Salvador’s Homicide Rate Hit a Historic Low in 2020
But the reasons behind the drop are unclear, and broader security and economic reforms are urgently needed.

In El Salvador, Broken Promises Have Forced the Establishment Out
In Sunday’s legislative elections, voters overwhelmingly backed a popular president promising change, despite criticisms of democratic backsliding.

New Ideas and Old Risks in El Salvador
President Nayib Bukele’s Nuevas Ideas party prepares for an electoral sweep.

El Salvador’s Justice System Takes on a Historic Case
Transgender rights activists say the prosecution of Camila Díaz Córdova’s death as a hate crime is an advance, although LGBTQ citizens continue to face discrimination and abuse.

The Words That Explained the World in 2019
A look at terms from India and El Salvador to South Korea and Ukraine.

Is Canada Violating Its Constitution by Sending Refugees Back to the United States?
A federal court case could stop Ottawa from treating the United States as a safe third country due to the Trump administration’s harsh policies toward asylum-seekers.

A Nation Held Hostage
The rival gangs MS-13 and La 18 control or influence every facet of life in El Salvador, making the small Central American nation the world’s most dangerous place outside a war zone.

Sending Refugees Back Makes the World More Dangerous
Repatriating refugees to dangerous countries violates international law and breeds conflict, instability, and future crises. Regional work visas and long-term integration into host countries are more promising solutions.

Diplomats’ Warnings Over Mass Deportations Ignored by Trump Administration
A memo details the Trump administration’s efforts to end waivers for hundreds of thousands of vulnerable Central American nationals and send them home.

El Salvador’s Tough Policing Isn’t What It Looks Like
Shootings reported as enfrentamientos, or confrontations, often mask killings of civilians and other misconduct.

El Salvador’s Trump Takes Office
Can Nayib Bukele cozy up to the United States?

Our Best Weekend Reads
This week, the world marked International Women’s Day, and the U.S. State Department canceled an award for a Finnish journalist who criticized Trump.

Trump Is Sending Guns South as Migrants Flee North
The administration’s push to weaken oversight of gun exports could worsen the Central American refugee crisis.

El Salvador Kills Women as the U.S. Shrugs
Washington helped start an epidemic of violence against women in Central America. Now it’s washing its hands of the problem.

Can El Salvador’s New President Fix What’s Driving Citizens Out?
Nayib Bukele won in a landslide. Now, he needs new policies to reduce violence in his country.

How One Top Diplomat Took a Stand Against Trump’s Immigration Policy
The under secretary of state feared that canceling the temporary protected status for some immigrants would be a blight on U.S. foreign policy.