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:
- Our weekly blog and eblast;
- Our Solidarity Travel program;
- Occasional events, webinars, and reports.
Quixote Center impacts policies through:
- Encouraging our supporters to send letters to Congress and the Administration;
- Scheduling in-person meetings with Members of Congress and the Administration;
- Participating in demonstrations and other direct action;
- Working in coalition with allied organizations.
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You can view a recent webinar on Weapons Trafficking to Haiti here.
Click here for our latest action.
The Signs of the Times
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.
Updates from Quixote Center Work in Haiti
Gang Violence, TPS, and Advocacy
In February, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) rescinded the extended designation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti, ending legal protections for Haitians with TPS living in the United States on August 3, 2025.
Who benefits from the US immigration system?
The immigration system in the US is dysfunctional, with decades of failed attempts at comprehensive immigration reform. The reason: powerful interest groups are profiting from it. Although immigrants founded the United States, and our nation is supposed to be a land of opportunity for those seeking the “American Dream”, the US has a complex history of anti-immigrant sentiment with cycles that have pushed and pulled people from all parts of the world.
Quixote Center is Anti-Racist
Quixote Center is an anti-racist organization. The history of racism, systematic oppression and exploitation of people of color began with the origins of this country and continues with devastating effects today among communities of color. These include pervasive anti-Blackness as a hallmark of living in the United States, and the notion that making America great includes expelling immigrants of color. We believe that efforts toward diversity, equity and inclusion are what is making our country great.
USAID Reflections
It’s complicated, to say the least.
Our new President claims that a “bunch of radical lunatics” run USAID. His preposterously wealthy sidekick calls it a criminal organization and said it was “time for it to die.”(i) They have not presented evidence.
Quixote Center Statement on Actions of the New Administration
Stay strong. It will be a tough few years.
We reaffirm our commitment to support and promote the rights and dignity of people on the move, as well as migrants already seeking a new life in our country. We reaffirm the humanity and dignity of LGBTQ persons and offer our love. We stand behind Bishop Budde’s plea for compassion and mercy toward the most vulnerable.
Migration Solutions; and Franciscan Network on Migration in Brazil
There is a lot of noise about migration coming from political campaigns, and from all sides. Most recently the U.S. government has limited asylum applications at the border in order to stem an ever-growing flow. Congress couldn’t pass bipartisan legislation to do essentially the same thing, because on the political right, politicians want to use the issue to rally their base.
Homeland InSecurity
We are getting closer to unpacking the complicated web of laws and agencies responsible for preventing U.S.- made weapons from getting into the hands of criminal elements in Haiti.
On Wednesday Quixote Center convened partner organizations together with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) staff director in charge of global trade violations and export enforcement coordination.
The road to peace cannot be paved with violence
"As you conduct your wars, think of others
(do not forget those who seek peace)As you pay your water bill, think of others
(those who are nursed by clouds).As you return home, to your home, think of others
(do not forget the people of the camps)."-Mahmoud Darwish
Earlier this week, a gunman shot three Palestinian college students as they were walking in a Vermont neighborhood.
Everywhere is War
And until there is no longer first class and second class citizens of any nation…well, everywhere is war.
—Bob Marley