Latin America

World News

'Remain In Mexico' Policy's End Brings Renewed Hope To Asylum Seekers

8:01am February 14, 2021

by Carrie Kahn

Central American migrants are thankful for the Biden administration's plans to go back to admitting them to the U.S. as their asylum claims are processed. But many still worry about future obstacles.

Queue Listen Now

An employee places bouquets on shelves in Bogotá on Feb. 1, as Colombia prepares to export flowers for Valentine's Day amid the new coronavirus pandemic.

There's A Good Chance Your Valentine's Flowers Come From Colombia

8:01am February 14, 2021

by John Otis

The country is the top flower exporter to the U.S. When the pandemic hit, farmers feared they'd have to destroy flower beds and lay off thousands of workers. Here's why that didn't happen.

A Salvadoran girl sits inside a camp for asylum-seekers on Sunday in Matamoros, Mexico, where some 600 people who left Central America have been waiting for immigration court hearings.

Biden Team Unveils New Asylum System To Replace Trump's 'Remain In Mexico'

11:46am February 12, 2021

by Alana Wise

President Biden has called his predecessor's "Remain in Mexico" program for asylum-seekers "inhumane." Next week, a new program begins, but details are still being worked out.

Queue Listen Now

Biden Administration's Asylum System To Replace Trump's 'Remain In Mexico'

8:34am February 12, 2021

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas talks to NPR's Rachel Martin about the administration's next step in immigration policy. Biden calls the Trump-era program for asylum-seekers "inhumane."

Queue Listen Now

A vial of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. A small study in South Africa has raised concerns about its effectiveness, but the World Health Organization has now stated: "Even if there is a possibility that this vaccine has a reduction in efficacy, we see

Up Against Mutants, WHO Says AstraZeneca Vaccine Is Still A Good Bet

2:30pm February 10, 2021

by Jason Beaubien

A small study in South Africa has raised concerns about the effectiveness of the AstraZeneca vaccine, particularly in fighting virus variants.

Colombian President Ivan Duque (right) and UN High Commissioner for Refugees Italian Filippo Grandi (left) held a briefing in Bogota on Feb. 8 to announce the temporary regularization of almost one million undocumented Venezuelans living in Colombia.

World News

Colombia Offers Temporary Legal Status To Nearly 1 Million Venezuelan Migrants

1:11pm February 09, 2021

by Rachel Treisman

The move will allow migrants to work legally in Colombia, obtain 10-year residence permits and access social services including healthcare and COVID-19 vaccines.

Mexico's Ambitious COVID-19 Vaccination Strategy Falls Into Disarray

7:30am February 09, 2021

by Carrie Kahn

Mexico set out to sign contracts with nearly every vaccine manufacturer in hopes of vaccinating most people by summer. But that plan's run into roadblocks, as the country deals with its worst spike.

Queue Listen Now

World News

Haitian Protesters Say Moïse's Term Is Over. He Says He Has 1 More Year

6:29am February 09, 2021

NPR's Rachel Martin speaks with Miami Herald reporter Jacqueline Charles about the latest political turmoil in Haiti. Protesters were demonstrating against President Jovenel Moïse.

Queue Listen Now

News Brief: Impeachment Trial, Capitol Siege, Mexico's Vaccine Plan

6:28am February 09, 2021

Trump's historic impeachment trial begins Tuesday in the Senate. NPR examines more than 200 criminal cases related to the insurrection. Mexico's COVID-19 vaccination plan runs into serious roadblocks.

Queue Listen Now

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, announced the Biden administration's plan to terminate agreements with El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras that allowed the U.S. to send asylum-seekers to those countries.

Politics & Government

Biden Moves To End Trump-Era Asylum Agreements With Central American Countries

9:40pm February 06, 2021

by John Ruwitch

The Biden administration took steps to dismantle deals with El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras that allowed the U.S. to send asylum-seekers to those countries, the State Department said on Saturday.