Guatemala had the longest and bloodiest civil war in Central American history: 36 years (1960-96). The US-backed military was responsible for a genocide (“scorched earth policy”) that wiped out 200,000 mostly Maya indigenous civilians. War criminals are still being tried in the courts.
Learn more here.
The hardline approach to violence, a model used by President Nayib Bukele in El Salvador, is gaining increasing support in Central America, a region that has been historically plagued by insecurity, whether related to gangs or drug trafficking.
Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Honduras are three countries that have adopted measures similar to those implemented by the Salvadoran leader, despite the criticism he receives from human rights organizations.
Consider your position in your community. What can you contribute to undocumented community members or migrant organizations?
Do you know any legal, mental health, social work professionals?
What about school employees?
We need EVERYONE to consider how they can mobilize support for vulnerable migrant families.
If you yourself don’t hold a professional position that is needed, consider this: Could serve as a first-call, point person for someone who is detained? Reach out to them to initiate a supportive conversation. Are you positioned to do child pick-up and safeguarding? Well-connected with community orgs or professionally situated to help with legal, medical or other needs?
See the attached flyer for more resources and ways to get involved.
Do you and your neighbors and co-workers know what to do if visited, questioned, or arrested by ICE? Do you know you can call the Ohio Immigration Hotline 419-777-HELP (4357) ? There’s also the Ohio National Lawyers Guild Hotline: (614) 654-6477
You can stay up-to-date every day on ICE activities, trends in apprehensions and detentions by following Austin Kocher on Substack https://substack.com/@austinkocher/posts
In northeast Ohio, you can reach out to irtf@irtfcleveland.org for educational resources and trainings for your workplace, congregation, or community group.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ vote and new national campaign to support migrants are the group’s first responses to the Trump administration’s crackdown.
In a rare group statement, America’s Catholic bishops voted nearly unanimously Wednesday to condemn the Trump administration’s crackdown on undocumented immigrants as an attack on “God-given human dignity,” and advocated for “meaningful reform of our nation’s immigration laws.”
“We oppose the indiscriminate mass deportation of people. We pray for an end to dehumanizing rhetoric and violence, whether directed at immigrants or at law enforcement,” read the message from the U.S.
Conference of Catholic Bishops. After the vote (216-5, with three abstentions), the bishops stood and applauded. The last such “Special Message” was delivered 12 years ago.
The new message listed the types of suffering the church leaders say many undocumented migrants experience, including “arbitrarily” losing their legal status, being subject to poor detention conditions, and being afraid to take children to school or go to church. “We feel compelled now in this environment to raise our voices in defense of God-given human dignity,” the bishops wrote.
Thank you to all who gathered with IRTF on November 9 for our annual commemoration event to mark the 45th anniversary of the sacrifice of four US women missioners in El Salvador. In response to that horrific tragedy, people of faith and conscience in Cleveland founded IRTF as a way to carry forward their legacy—taking action in solidarity with oppressed and marginalized communities as they struggle for peace, dignity, and justice.
IRTF board and staff wishes to thank all the volunteers who helped us set up, decorate, run the event and pack up at the end of the night, Pilgrim Church for hosting us, the kitchen staff at Guanaquitas pupsería for preparing our dinner, Megan Wilson-Reitz for coordinating our social hour (and the many kitchen volunteers!), Salim and Lucía for coordinating our raffle/auction, Pastor Jay for running the tech, and all who participated in the service and speaker program.
To our 46 co-sponsors: Thank you for your financial support that helps us continue calling people into solidarity with oppressed peoples in Central America and Colombia. We are deeply appreciative of your affirmation of our mission and ongoing commitment to this important work.
Indigenous Maya Q’eqchi’ communities who live in the Sierra Santa Cruz mountain range in Izabal Department, Guatemala, have been battling harmful and violent mining operations for over 60 years. Recently, following peaceful occupations, protests, and complaints filed with the Public Ministry over illegal excavations carried out by mining companies, the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MARN) announced on July 30 that ten environmental licenses granted for operations in the Sierra Santa Cruz had been cancelled. Despite this, Canada-based Central America Niquel (CAN) and its subsidiaries, Río Nickel S.A. and Nichromet Guatemala, have continued to illegally push ahead with mining operations in the Sierra Santa Cruz mountain range.
Following his vital work covering local resistance to these mining operations, journalist and human rights defender Carlos Ernesto Choc is facing targeted attacks of intimidation and harassment. Since 2017, Carlos Choc has faced unfounded criminal charges related to his coverage of police brutality during protests against the El Fénix nickel mine in El Estor (where 90% of the residents are Indigenous Maya Q’eqchi’), arbitrary house raids, and threatening attacks by unidentified assailants. Now, he is experiencing escalating acts of intimidation, including shots being fired near his house, an unidentified car hitting the fence surrounding his house, and defamatory messages being circulated online. We are writing to Guatemalan authorities to implement immediate measures to protect Choc.
For nearly two decades, Maya Q’eqchi’ communities have fought a groundbreaking legal battle in Canada against Hudbay Minerals for violence, land evictions, and killings linked to Guatemala’s Fenix nickel mine. From the 2007 mass rape of 11 women to the murder of community leader Adolfo Ich, the struggle set a historic precedent for corporate accountability abroad. Now, with the lawsuits finally settled, a new report reveals the full story—exposing decades of Canadian mining interests, corruption, and repression in Guatemala, and connecting past injustices to ongoing stru
For nearly two decades, Maya Q’eqchi’ communities have fought a groundbreaking legal battle in Canada against Hudbay Minerals for violence, land evictions, and killings linked to Guatemala’s Fenix nickel mine. From the 2007 mass rape of 11 women to the murder of community leader Adolfo Ich, the struggle set a historic precedent for corporate accountability abroad. Now, with the lawsuits finally settled, a new report reveals the full story—exposing decades of Canadian mining interests, corruption, and repression in Guatemala, and connecting past injustices to ongoing struggles today.
to read the full report click here
The ERC Capital group, owner of the Raaxhá Hydroelectric dam in Alta Verapaz, promotes the electric generation project as “clean sustainable energy.” The name “raaxhá” means “green water” in the local Maya Q’eqchi’ dialect.
But local Indigenous communities north of Cobán saw the threats to their water supply and rallied to stop its construction. In January 2020, the government of former President Jimmy Morales (whose 2016-20 administration was riddled with corruption) approved a permit for the project. The attorney general began a legal process against the director of MARN (Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources) for the illegal approval. Both the National Council of Protected Areas (CONAP) and the National Institute of Forests (INAB) noted negative findings in the environmental impact study. Both institutions—responsible for managing the Laguna de Lachuá National Park—foresaw the probable harms of water diversion.
Indeed, since Raaxhá began their operations on the Icbolay River, there has been evident depletion of the river’s water supply with the operation of its hydroelectric dam, contaminating what remains of the water and negatively affecting individuals’ health and the environment. MARN’s complicity in the draining and denial of accessible water for local inhabitants is reflective of a larger pattern of prioritizing the economic development of corporations over the will and well-being of Guatemalans.
Speaking up to denounce the irreversible damage to land and waterways caused by large scale mining operations is dangerous. There were more than 60 registered assassinations of environmental defenders in Guatemala between 2014 and 2024; the majority were in Izabal and Alta Verapaz Departments.
Marco Antonio Zuleta Quevedo worked as a ranger and forest firefighter to protect the Sierra de las Minas Biosphere Reserve, the largest cloud forest habitat in Central America. He received death threats for reporting illegal resource extraction. On May 9, he was shot and killed while walking home in Usumatlán, Zacapa Department.
Misael Mata Ascencio was active in the anti-mining resistance formed by 54 communities in the Sierra Santa Cruz region of Izabal Department, where Río Nickel S.A. (a subsidiary of Canada-based Central America Nickel, or CAN) had filed more than a dozen mining exploration applications for nickel and other minerals. While working as a security guard on a farm in his community, he was beaten and shot to death on May 14.
In addition to urging authorities to continue the investigations, we ask that the government invest more time and resources to consult with Indigenous communities about their legitimate concerns regarding mining operations.
For almost two decades, the Indigenous Xinka people of Santa Rosa Department have been resisting El Escobal–a silver mining project in the municipality of San Rafael Las Flores. Since 2007, the Xinka have organized peaceful protests in opposition to the progression of El Escobal, aided by the State’s willingness to grant mining exploration and exploitation licenses without concern for Indigenous rights. Now, a ruling by the Constitutional Court of Guatemala (CC) has given them the opportunity to a formal consultation and presentation of their decision on El Escobal’s continuance.
Previous Xinka resistance to El Escobal was met with State violence and intimidation. On March 13, 2013, four Xinka community leaders were kidnapped and tortured by an armed group following a consultation in the village of El Volcancito. Shortly after, Xinka communities held a protest near the mine in opposition to the government granting El Escobal a 25-year mining license. This was met by violent eviction by the police, who employed rubber bullets, tear gas, and arbitrary detention. Escalation continued when former President Otto Pérez Molina declared a state of siege in four municipalities in the conflict zone, deploying 8,000 soldiers and police in the region.
In 2018, after years of peaceful protests, criminalization, and legal battles, the CC issued a historic ruling. The court suspended the license for exploitation of El Escobal mine and ordered the State to conduct a consultation with the Xinka people in accordance with the International Labor Organization (ILO) standards. This consultation was the first in Guatemalan history formally conducted with an Indigenous people relating to an extractive project. Additionally, the CC recognized that the Guatemalan State had violated the Xinka people’s right to a free, prior, and informed consultation regarding projects that impact their territory, also established by ILO Convention 169. On May 8, 2025, the Xinka People’s Parliament of Guatemala presented the results of their consultation, saying NO to the reopening of El Escobal and stressing the Guatemalan State’s clear violations of their rights, identity, and spiritual connection to the land.
