Centrist Rodrigo Paz’s victory in October’s runoff election signals a dramatic change of direction for Bolivian politics. The era of dominance of the Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) party... 📌 Read more: https://aulablog.net/2025/11/11/bolivia-decisively-enters-new-if-unknown-political-territory/

Bolivia Decisively Enters New If Unknown Political Territory By Robert Albro, Associate Director, CLALS Rodrigo Paz is sworn in as president of Bolivia, 2025(Source: Wikimedia Commons) Centrist Rodrigo Paz’s victory in October’s runoff election signals a dramatic change of direction for Bolivian…

📣 Join us for the launch of our Mentorship Program! Connect with students, faculty, and staff as we build a stronger, more supportive community together. Don’t miss our kickoff event featuring a panel discussion and informal networking session — open to all!  📍Nov. 20, 1:00-2:30pm | MGC, 305

Políticos y comentaristas jugaban con deportaciones masivas desde el 2001. Esta administración ha hecho de esos sueños una realidad, o más bien una pesadilla, para casi todos. Hablé sobre eso aqui: https://f.mtr.cool/mzkomdiswm

"Reunited: Family Separation and Central American Youth Migration" is available in English from the Russell Sage Foundation, available in Spanish on Amazon, and also available as an audiobook in Spanish wherever you get your audiobooks.

Just six years ago, in 2019, the three major organizations of the Ecuadorian indigenous movement were on the rise. CONAIE led the charge against Lenin Moreno’s government... 📌 Read more: https://aulablog.net/2025/11/06/the-rise-decline-and-crisis-of-ecuadors-indigenous-movement/

🚨 NOW OPEN: Spring 2025 Applications! 🚨 The Immigration Lab is recruiting more Research Interns, Digital Communications & Events Interns, and Volunteers 📅 Priority Deadline: January 1st 🌎 Multilingual applicants encouraged to apply Learn more & apply here 👉 https://f.mtr.cool/thecrovodw

The Rise, Decline, and Crisis of Ecuador’s Indigenous Movement By Dr. Pablo Andrade Andrade October 17 Demonstrations (Manifestaciones del 17 de Octubre)(Source: Wikimedia Commons) Just six years ago, in 2019, the three major organizations of the Ecuadorian indigenous movement were on the rise.…

📣 Join us as we unpack the election outcome, early signals of transition, and the challenges ahead for governance, institutions, and policy in Chile and beyond. 📌 Tuesday, November 18, 2025 | 3:30 PM | SIS This event is part of the Global Democracy Initiative launched by SIS last year.

Read more about the Safe Third Country Agreement (Tercer País Seguro) at https://www.dw.com/es/acuerdo-migratorio-con-ee-uu-podría-ser-positivo-para-belice/a-74478665

On the U.S. – Argentina Currency Swap By Dr. Susana Nudelsman Central Bank of Argentina (Banco Central de la República Argentina)(Source: Wikimedia Commons) In October of this year, the United States Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent ratified the signing of a US$20 billion currency swap with the…

Title: "How to Translate Scientific Findings about Human Migration to the Public and Policymakers while Taking into Account Political, Economic, Cultural, and Social Factors" When: Wednesday, November 12, 12PM-1PM Where: Room 317, Bender Library docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

CLALS ofrenda to ancestors, friends, pets, and other loved ones who passed before us.

Spoke about new surveys of Latinos with Noticias Univision #LineaDeFuego www.youtube.com/watch?v=tD6T...

Most Latinos keep self-identifying as Democratic voters. Most blame Republicans for the shutdown, feel the negative effects of economic & immigration policies on their families. Over 11% of bilingual Latinos who voted for Trump already regret it after less than 10 months back in government.

Our Dia de los Muertos Event was a success! Thank you for joining us as we learned about the holiday and its many traditions, while enjoying churros and Abuelita hot chocolate. Another thank you to those who shared their stories on our ofrenda! 🧡🌼

Applications for the Spring semester sessioin are open! Visit https://f.mtr.cool/qkmjjvfelm to apply before January 1st.

📣 Join us for a conversation with CNN Correspondent Priscilla Alvarez on recent immigration policies and their impact on people and communities. In dialogue with Dr. Ernesto Castañeda, this discussion explores how policy, lived experience, and journalism intersect in today’s immigration landscape.

📣 Join us for a conversation with CNN Correspondent Priscilla Alvarez on recent immigration policies and their impact on people and communities. In dialogue with Dr. Ernesto Castañeda, this discussion explores how policy, lived experience, and journalism intersect in today’s immigration landscape.

Come join us at the Public Anthropology Conference where we will present our findings from the Immigration DMV project!

In October of this year, the United States Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent ratified the signing of a US$20 billion currency swap with the Central Bank of Argentina... 📌 Read more: https://aulablog.net/2025/10/28/on-the-u-s-argentina-currency-swap/

On the U.S. – Argentina Currency Swap By Dr. Susana Nudelsman Central Bank of Argentina (Banco Central de la República Argentina)(Source: Wikimedia Commons) In October of this year, the United States Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent ratified the signing of a US$20 billion currency swap with the…

Thank you to all who joined Ernesto Castañeda's talk to better "Understand Immigration Realities;"  Let’s keep the conversation going on International Migration!   Be on the lookout for a recording of the talk out soon on our podcast: "Immigration Realities."

📣 Join us for a conversation with CNN Correspondent Priscilla Alvarez on recent immigration policies and their impact on people and communities. In dialogue with Dr. Ernesto Castañeda, this discussion explores how policy, lived experience, and journalism intersect in today’s immigration landscape.

Global inequality is shifting. While gaps between countries have narrowed, inequality within countries continues to surge. Where you’re born still shapes your chances. Read more:

Vicissitudes of Global Inequality By Dr Susana Nudelsman Global map of high inequality countries, 2022 (Source: Wikimedia Commons) Global inequality is composed of two components: between-country inequality and within-country inequality. The between-country component assesses disparities in per…

📣 Join us for a conversation with CNN Correspondent Priscilla Alvarez on recent immigration policies and their impact on people and communities. In dialogue with Dr. Ernesto Castañeda, this discussion explores how policy, lived experience, and journalism intersect in today’s immigration landscape.

Ernesto Castañeda said Republicans risk losing some Latino voters in the upcoming midterms because they believe that “the deportation and immigration policies have gone too far,” noting that the economic uncertainty could further hurt the GOP among Hispanic voters.

Migrants face unique mental health challenges—trauma, fear, and exclusion—but too often remain invisible in care systems. This #WorldMentalHealthDay, we recognize that mental health for all means migrants too. Read more on our blog:

Migrants’ Mental Health Matters Too By Maria De Jesus and Ernesto Castañeda, Center for Latin American and Latino Studies and Immigration Lab, American University Image of holding hands. Retrieved from Public Domain Pictures. Every 10th of October, we celebrate World Mental Health Day. The overall…

Let’s break the stigma, open conversations, and remember: asking for help is a sign of strength. The new volume “Migration and Migration Status: Key Determinants of Health and Well-Being” by Maria de Jesus and Ernesto Castañeda offers essential insights into how migration impacts mental health.

📣 Understanding Immigration! Join Dr. Castañeda for an in-depth discussion on today’s immigration realities. He will examine key trends, challenges, and the social, political, and cultural factors shaping immigration in the U.S. October 15th, 3:30 - 5:00 PM, Hall of Science T07

Happening right now at SIS Founders' Room at American University. Presentation and discussion of book on immigrant detention. #NancyHiemstra #DeirdreConlon #AustinKocher #TazreenaSajjad #ErnestoCastañeda #PlutoBooks

Today! Join us for "Empanadas, Pupusas, and Greens on the Side: Language and Latinidad in the Nation's Capital" with AU's Amelia Tseng (WLC & CLALS) to explore how Latinx communities shape DC's cultural and linguistic landscape through stories of migration, identity & belonging.

Latin America faces economic uncertainty but also unique opportunities. With abundant renewable energy & critical minerals, the region could lead a green transition for sustainable growth—if leaders act now. Read more: https://aulablog.net/2025/09/19/latin-americas-challenges-and-opportunities/

Latin America’s Challenges and Opportunities By Dr. Susana Nudelsman Image of wind mills and solar panels. Retrieved from Wikimedia Commons. Latin America is a region of great contrasts that currently faces serious challenges and also great opportunities. At the global level, the current outlook…

A Mexican Indigenous Entrepreneur in New York By Ernesto Castañeda Book review and excerpt from. “Un nahual en el imperio: La lucha de un migrante por los derechos políticos de la diáspora ” by Maurizio Guerrero. Ciudad de México: Grano de Sal. 2025. This book, published by Grano de Sal Press,…

Talk by Mexican Anthropologist and CLALS Research Fellow Federico Besserer. September 17, 2025. American University, Washington, DC.

📣 Join us for "The Big Business of Locking Up Migrants"  Authors Nancy Hiemstra & Deirdre Conlon expose the profit-driven system behind U.S. immigration detention - its costs, failures, and the growing pushback. 👉🏼 Register: https://tinyurl.com/4csb5b96 , or scan QR code on flyer!

📣 Join us for "Empanadas, Pupusas, and Greens on the Side: Language and Latinidad in the Nation's Capital" with AU's Amelia Tseng (WLC & CLALS)! 🌎 Explore how Latinx communities shape DC's cultural and linguistic landscape through stories of migration, identity, and belonging.

Classroom “safe spaces” are more complex than they appear. Co-ethnic dynamics, language, and hidden hierarchies shape learning. Read more here: https://aulablog.net/2025/09/15/invisible-hierarchies/

Invisible Hierarchies Invisible Hierarchies: How Co-ethnic and Generational Dynamics Affect Latinx Students in the Classroom By Allison Finn Yemez In their book, Reunited, about youth migrating to the US to reunite with parents in the Washington, DC area, Ernesto Castañeda and Daniel Jenks find…

For Afghan migrants in the US, acculturation is more than learning a new language and celebrating their traditions. It is also about navigating legal precarity and confronting exclusion, while holding hope. Read more here: https://aulablog.net/2025/09/12/what-does-it-mean-to-belong/

What Does It Mean to Belong? By S. Shrestha Belonging refers to the feeling of being accepted and emotionally connected to a group. It involves feeling included, valued, and recognized for one’s identity, culture, background, and contributions. The need to belong is deeply human. For migrants and…

The current administration is copying the authoritarian playbook by using the language of security to justify power grabs. Regimes built on this basis always become far more dangerous than the real or fabricated threats they promise to quash.

We ask whether someone’s movement is legal or illegal, allowed or forbidden. We debate thresholds and quotas, risks and threats. Rarely do we ask the more human question: Does a person have the right to move freely? Read more here: https://aulablog.net/2025/09/02/the-first-freedom/

"It isn't that there is no crime or drug trafficking in authoritarian regimes, just that the authorities are more likely to be involved. The Faustian bargain of surrendering democracy in exchange for security is a false pretense, an excuse to concentrate power"

In the Everglades, the new detention camp, “Alligator Alcatraz,” faces local opposition. Environmentalists warn of ecological harm, the Miccosukee Tribe defends their land, and immigrant advocates decry inhumane conditions. Read more:

"Who is poised to become Bolivia's president?" Robert Albro, Associate Director of the Center for Latin American and Latino Studies, speaks on The Dialogue about the Bolivian election. Read more here: