IRTF News

This is Wendy Bilgen. I am one of the newer members of the IRTF Board of Trustees. I had hoped to begin this letter with something lighthearted and encouraging. I promise I will get there. But first, I want to share what has been on my heart.

I have been trying to catch my breath these past months. The political landscape shifts so quickly. In our own communities, families brace for ICE, we lament the devastation in Gaza and the West Bank, the relentless militarization that is reaching across borders and lands on our doorsteps. The forces of injustice bank on our exhaustion. The system is engineered that way: to isolate us, to make us believe our differences are insurmountable. But I keep returning to one question, not as a slogan but as a lifeline: Will we stand together?

This year, IRTF celebrates 45 years of answering that question with a resounding "yes." So here is the encouraging part I promised: for 45 years, IRTF has been a living testament to the power of interfaith solidarity. When people of different faiths, backgrounds, and traditions stand together, we do the work that outlasts any administration: addressing root causes, accompanying communities in struggle, and building something unshakeable.

Read more testimony from Wendy and other board members who share what draws them into the work of IRTF and what sustains them.

If you would like to help sustain the human rights solidarity work of IRTF—now in our 45th year—please see this donation link or mail your donation to IRTF, 3606 Bridge Ave., Cleveland OH 44113.

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.

IRTF is among the many organizations committed to human rights across the Americas urging the release of political prisoner Ruth López in El Salvador. May 18 marks one year since she was arrested at home in her pajamas on a Sunday at 9:30pm with the bogus charge of embezzlement. Ruth had been serving as lead human rights attorney for the organization Cristosal. 

Despite Ruth’s request for a public trial, the Salvadoran government continues to pursue non-public proceedings, raising serious concerns about due process, transparency, and the protection of fundamental rights.

TAKE ACTION to demand the release of human rights lawyer Ruth López.

(1) Use the campaign toolkit to share Ruth’s story with social media graphics, sample posts, scripts to contact legislators. Click here.

(2) Repost and share campaign posts: Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook.  #FreeRuth

(3) Circulate reports, interviews, statements, and stories about Ruth.

(4) Tell Congress to support legislation to condition US police/military aid to El Salvador on human rights improvements and request a US State Department briefing on efforts to secure the freedom of Ruth López.  Click here

This article by El Pais examines the incarceration of Luis Pacheco and Héctor Chaclán, representatives of 48 Cantons of Totonicapán, which is one of the strongest organizations of the Indigenous movement in Guatemala. They are political prisoners, detained on false charges of terrorism. 

In Pt. 4 of her report on Immigration Jails in Ohio Lynn Tramonte examines: 

• The Timeline of ACLU and Immigrant Resistance against immigration Jails in Ohio 
• How Columbus Responded: #ICEOutOfCbus

to read the report here

To expand its gold mining operations in Copán Department, MINOSA (a Honduran subsidiary of US-based Aura Minerals) began deforestation of the Cerro Los Hornillos mountain, a site of sacred and historical significance to the local Maya Chortí Indigenous community, in July 2025. Community members questioned the authority under which the company was operating and denounced MINOSA for failing to consult affected peoples prior to initiating work in the area. They expressed concern that the destruction of Cerro Los Hornillos could affect the geological integrity of the mountain area and vital waterways.   So to protect the well-being of the environmental and the health of the community, in September 2025  residents installed a peaceful encampment at the foot of the mountain to block any expansion of gold mining into the Cerro Los Hornillos.

The corporation has the office of the public prosecutor and other state law enforcement on its side. On February 12, to help MINOSA expand its mining operations (even though it did not have express permission from neither the Secretariat of Natural Resources and Environment nor the Honduras Institute for Geology and Mining), the Honduran military arrived at Cerro Los Hornillos to assist MINOSA in its deforestation by holding back the encampment of environmental defenders.  On February 24, six encampment defenders had to appear at a court arraignment on charges of usurpation (illegal trespass/occupation). On May 5, they would appear in court again as a judge determines whether the public prosecutor has enough evidence to move the case forward.

Despite the severe social and environmental risks that this project poses, MINOSA is moving towards exploitation without any sign of institutional oversight.

In Part Two of her report on Immigration Jails in Ohio, Lynn Tramonte of Ohio Immigrant Alliance examines questions such as:

• How does ICE's actions resemble the tactics of criminals?
• How are we supposed to respond to our law enforcement being virtually indistinguishable to the perpetrators?
• How is it that many of the enlisted agents have questionable criminal histories? 

to read the report click here