All Latin America Monitor

Mexico's Senate approved a law that would provide compensation of up to $70,000 to victims of organized crime, writes a guest blogger. It still needs approval from the House of Representatives.

In part because the US makes it easy. The 1966 Cuban Adjustment Act and the 'wet-foot, dry-foot' policy of the '90s have eased the way for Cubans to immigrate, writes a guest blogger.

Skype and social media are becoming key tools for indigenous groups in their fights against mining, dams, and other unwanted development, says a guest blogger.

The US has given a $5 million grant to make the wiretapping possible, writes a guest blogger.

El Salvador has proposed a program to train tens of thousands of former gang members for the workforce. But some are questioning why criminals should get special help, writes a guest blogger.

In a New York Times op-ed, a Cuban blogger writes that nothing has changed on the communist island, but guest blogger Melissa Fortner disagrees. Individual freedoms are expanding, she writes.

There is no longer a strong unifying ideology in Latin America, writes guest blogger James Bosworth.

Some 80 percent of cocaine leaving South America goes by sea, highlighting the importance of maritime routes to traffickers, writes a guest blogger.

Colombia's President Santos is riding high regionally, but a new poll suggests his domestic approval ratings have dropped, writes guest blogger James Bosworth.

A luxury liner sailed past a stranded fishing boat from Panama, even though passengers aboard spotted three men adrift. Two of the fishermen died.

Just ten years ago some Mexican artists assumed 'good stuff only came from the outside,' but now many local designers mix pride in their culture and tradition with modernity, writes a blogger.

The Salvadorian government allegedly made a truce with gang leaders. Giving criminals impunity for reduced violence may weaken the legitimacy of the state, but it's saving lives, writes a blogger.

A recent poll shows Mexican concern about natural disaster outranks fears of violence and organized crime. The reason: an active volcano and recent earthquakes.

One of every five residents in Rio de Janeiro lives in a favela, and faces public security and health threats. But the city's plan to improve slums has been met with distrust, writes a guest blogger.

Officials in Cartagena are protesting the negative image their city is earning amid the blanket coverage of a Secret Service prostitute scandal.

The Ecuadorean Constitution calls for 'universal citizenship,' granting free mobility – with or without a passport. But lax regulations are raising fears of easy access for terrorists or organized crime.

Retaliation from Spain and a foray into fracking are some of the challenges Argentina may have to navigate, writes a guest blogger.

How effective is Rio's 2008 public safety policy, if it pushes crime out of one neighborhood and into another, asks guest blogger Julia Michaels.

Taxis often serve as lookouts for criminal groups, warning of police deployments. If drivers were working for a cartel, they could be targeted by rival gangs, writes a guest blogger.

Cuba, as always, was not invited to the Summit of the Americas in Colombia this weekend. But its participation at future meetings could become a major issue.