How families resist to the erosion of due process and violations of human rights during four years of El Salvador's State of Exception and escalated attacks on migrants in the United States.
to register for the zoom call click here
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
Shaker Heights and Cleveland Heights are joining together to fight to terminate our cities' Flock Camera contracts.
to rsvp click here
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 Barrio 18's January attacks sought to destabilize the country to benefit well-connected political elites who have challenged the government of President Bernardo Arévalo. This nacla reviews guatemalas ongoing challenges and efforts in 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
Between 2015 and 2025, Honduras recorded 113 murders of environmental defenders, and nine out of ten cases remain unpunished, according to data from the Association for a More Just Society (ASJ). The departments of Colón, Yoro, and Atlántida account for the majority of these crimes, in territories marked by conflicts over land and natural resources. Meanwhile, environmental organizations and defenders denounce the lack of progress in investigations and the absence of state protection for those who defend the environment.
