Quixote Center works to defend the human rights and dignity of the most vulnerable by influencing U.S. foreign and immigration policies, through educating our supporters, allied organizations, and government officials, and through actions directed at specific policies. Extreme poverty and vulnerability lead families to make the heartbreaking decision to migrate, to the United States or elsewhere. Our policy priorities address the root causes of migration in Haiti, Nicaragua and across Latin America and the Caribbean. We also defend the rights of migrants in the United States and work toward safe and non-exploitative legal pathways that recognize the important role immigrants play in our society and economy.
We educate our constituencies through:
Quixote Center impacts policies through:
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You can view a recent webinar on Weapons Trafficking to Haiti here.
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Trade justice lies at the core of a fair and just economic system. This summer Quixote Center published an article exposing how free trade agreements like NAFTA fueled migration out of Mexico. Trade policies not only impact migration but also outline the rules related to arms trafficking.
Who is allowed into the United States?
You can find Part 1: Who Are We Detaining and Deporting HERE.
Asylum Ban
If you’ve had a hard time keeping track of the policy developments and accompanying judicial stays related to immigration, you are not alone. This blog series is meant to provide an overview of the anti-immigrant policies enacted by the current administration, highlight data collected so far by respected organizations, provide a realistic sense of how this administration is likely to continue on immigration, and lift up areas of resistance and activism.
On September 4th, 2025, Amnesty International convened, and Quixote Center co-sponsored, an academic conference to bring together experts and advocates from Haiti and the US and explore solutions to the multiple crises Haiti faces today.
Opening remarks from Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick emphasized the importance of Haitian-led solutions and recognized global responsibility for the trafficking of guns and drugs flooding Haiti.
After designating multiple Latin American and Haitian cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations in 2025, the US Administration escalated its stance when the president signed a directive to the Pentagon to begin using military force against the Latin American cartels.
There is debate on whether using sanctions is a strategic or harmful foreign policy strategy. US administrations increasingly deploy this tactic to push a certain political agenda or thwart a purported security threat.
On March 15, the United States government forcibly disappeared over 200 Venezuelans to a maximum security prison in El Salvador based on unproven allegations that they were members of Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan organized crime group.
The humanitarian situation in Haiti continues to worsen as its people suffer from a crisis of violence and hunger, fueled by weapons and ammunition trafficked from the US. Due to the rescission of Temporary Protected Status for Haitians set to take place in August 2025, many more Haitians who are in the US legally are at risk of being deported back to Haiti which does not have the infrastructure or resources to resettle them.
More than half of the people in Haiti are facing severe hunger, with at least 8,000, specifically among those displaced and living in tent camps, facing starvation. Gang violence killed 5600 people in 2024, with more than one million people displaced. The violence, death, hunger and displacement are a result of weak U.S. gun laws and weak enforcement that enriches manufacturers and dealers and enables illegal gun trafficking across the Caribbean.
