IRTF News

On March 17th, El Salvador changed their constitution making laws much harsher by allowing life sentences for crimes like murder, rape, and terrorism. In the article it is stated that acts related to some sort of gang violence or offense are now being considered as acts of terrorism, causing these alleged gang members or "terrorists", who without being given a just trial, are serving life sentences, hurting innocent people who were falsley accused during President Bukele's gang crackdown. The changes are especially concerning for women and children as well.  Women could face life in prison over abortion-related cases with little regard of context, and children as young as 12 could receive life sentences without parole. The article also describes concerns about prisoners being forced to work and families being exploited for money.

Overall, the author believes the reforms are less about real justice and more about punishment and control. Instead of focusing on rehabilitation, preventing violence, and protecting people’s rights, the government is making it easier to imprison people for life.

For decades, wealthy Honduran elites and the global tourism industry have been violently destroying ancestral Garifuna lands along the Carribean shoreline in Honduras. Following U.S. intervention in Honduras' election in November 2025, violent disposession of Garifuna communities has spiked, including the July 6 illegal detention of five Garifuna land defenders.

UN experts raise concerns over the unexplained termination of at least 135 immigration judges in the United States. As many of these terminated judges have higher rates of granting asylum or had background in sympathetic fields (immigrant defense or humanitarian advoacy), the UN criticizes these politically charged actions and questions the ability of judges to effectively preside over cases with the looming threat of being targeted bases on their percieved politcal affiliation.

The American Immigration Council describes the detention system as a system of systematic failure exposing its flawed nature of detention or deportation as a one-size-fits-all response.

This Human Rights Watch report examines the execerbating conditions for detainees within immigration persecution and shedding light on the detention facility Camp East Montana in Texas and its treatment of detainees. 

A year after Trump allocated billions for his immigration terror campaign, deportation agents are amassing historic amounts of military weapons.

This article looks at El Salvador's State of Exception through the lens of the unrightfully detained lawyer, activist and human rights defender Ruth López. 

Was a  Canadian military/security consultant company  complicit in the 2016 assassination of Indigenous Lenca land defender Berta Céceres? Did they financially benefit?  What was their role in broader intimidation efforts against Indigenous land defenders?