International Allies Against Metallic Mining in El Salvador invites us into dialogue with veteran members of the anti-mining movement and academics, with the aim of reflecting on the current state of mining in El Salvador and the key challenges for social movements working in defense of water and the environment.
to register click here
In honor of the prophetic voice of Oscar Romero—silenced 46 years ago but still speaking truth to power through the resistance movements in El Salvador—we invite you to take part in the following:
A. National Call-In Days to Congress
Our asks to US senators and US representatives are: (1) halt the Trump nominee for ambassador to El Salvador; (2) investigate the Salvadorans who were disappeared into the CECOT prison in March 2025, (3) suspend security assistance to El Salvador in light of well-documented human rights abuses, including possible crimes against humanity.
B. Social Media Days of Action for Political Prisoners
Draw attention to: (1) the dangers that arbitrary arrest and prolonged detention without trial pose to Salvadorans in the US at risk of being deported to El Salvador; (2) the need for solidarity with human rights defender Fidel Zavala and members of the La Floresta environmental defenders; (3) the launch of a new online photo gallery to honor some of the over 400 people who have died in prison since the start of the State of Exception; (4) the call for documentation through interviews with families of those deported to El Salvador since March 2022 about their experiences since being forcibly returned. See tinyurl.com/4bsut3ss or call Professor Sarah Bishop at CUNY: (646) 504-6340.
C. Solidarity with people’s resistance to harmful metallic mining in El Salvador. Click here to register for the webinar on Monday, March 30.
D. Other ways to take action: (1) resources for learning more about the state of exception: (2) post cards to El Salvador’s political prisoners and other victims of the State of Exception; (3) follow social media handles: Bloque de Resistencia y Rebeldia Popular (IG: @bloquepopular, X: @Bloque_RP, Facebook); Movemiento de Víctimas del Regimen (MOVIR) (Facebook)
For more than four decades, IRTF has welcomed dozens of interns who have helped carry forward our mission of promoting peace, human rights and systemic transformation across the Americas. Each year, our interns enter the living legacy of IRTF: never-ending advocacy, organizing, and accompaniment. Their experiences, like those of Lucia and Maddie, remind us of the importance of this work and of forming the next generation of justice seekers.
Maddie: As a small organization and a tight-knit community, IRTF’s support is direct. This summer, we accompanied migrants to their immigration hearings, speaking with them in a mix of broken English and Spanish, learning their stories and offering them support and companionship. We connected with other community groups to learn how we could best inform local migrant and refugee families through Know Your Rights training. We challenged our own comfort and security by attempting to take on the fear and uncertainty faced by the migrant community.
Lucia: IRTF has been an indispensable part of discerning the world I want to live in, the role I will have in that, and the way I hope to go about it. This haven of social justice, activism, and human-centered civic engagement has become the foundation on which I hope to build a lifetime of advocacy and purposeful action.
Please read more from the reflections of student interns Maddie and Lucia.
We’re excited to announce that Equal Exchange will be donating a portion of their sales to IRTF when you shop their online store during 2026.
To shop Equal Exchange click here. Find organic and fairly traded coffees, teas, chocolate, cocoa, nuts, dried fruits, and even olive oil—all from small farmer co-ops, available by the case for stocking up.
Promo code: IRTFDonate . Enter this code when you check out and Equal Exchange will donate 10% of your purchase back to IRTF!
Equal Exchange was founded as a solidarity organization in 1986 to support small farmers in Nicaragua by importing their coffee despite the US embargo. Forty years later, this worker-owned co-op continues to prove that a more democratic food system is possible.
To shop Equal Exchange click here
IRTF initiated our annual Social Justice Teach-In (aka Liberation Lab) in 1999. This spring we feel a great need to call together justice-minded folks who are committed to human rights, liberation, and respect and dignity for all people.
Every year for the past 26 years, this event has been an informative and inter-generational day of community building and education for high school and college students and other community members seeking ways to take positive action for social justice.
To buy tickets or become a sponsor click here
To commemorate the martyrdom of St Oscar Romero of El Salvador (who was assassinated on March 24 1980), Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso invited Catholics and “all people of conscience and goodwill” to join him for a prayer gathering and march for an end to mass detention.
In a letter he ordered to be read in all Catholic parishes in his diocese on March 15, Bishop Seitz called mass detention and mass deportation a “grave moral evil.” He urged Catholics in El Paso who work for ICE and Border Patrol to obey God’s law over Trump’s.
His words are reminiscent of Archbishop Romero. In the final Sunday homily (sermon) he gave on March 23, 1980, Romero implored his fellow Salvadorans: “No soldier is obliged to obey an order against the law of God… No one has to observe an immoral law.I would like to make an appeal especially to the men of the army, and concretely to the National Guard, the police, and the troops. Brothers, you are of part of our own people. You are killing your own brother and sister campesinos, and against any order a man may give to kill, God’s law must prevail: «You shall not kill!»
As we remember Oscar Romero’s dedication to the Gospel of love and nonviolence on this 46th anniversary of his assassination, may God give us the courage to speak prophetically and act boldly to end the militarized repression we are experiencing in the US today.
This Bloomberg Law article examines chief immigration judge Teresa Riley, in her role in helping carry out Trump’s deportation agenda by pushing judges to deny more asylum claims and restrict bond hearings. It also raises concerns about her courtroom conduct and the impact of her guidance on immigrants’ chances of staying in the U.S.
This article exposes how El Salvador’s so‑called “security model,” praised internationally for reducing crime, is actually built on widespread human rights abuses
The January attacks by the criminal organization Barrio 18 sought to destabilize the country to benefit well-connected political elites who have challenged the government of President Bernardo Arévalo. NACLA provides analysis of Guatemala's ongoing challenges and efforts to end impunity.
This article prents a report by a group of international jurists, reviewing Bukeles governmnet and contradictions between domestic popularity in El Salvador and how international organizations judgement of the government.
another notable article about El Salvador mass arrests: click
