Migration isn't caused just by violence and failing governments: Climate-related problems such as drought, extreme storms and excessive heat have pushed many small farmers in Central America to leave their land and head north.
When it comes to the first people arriving in the Americas during the Ice Age from Asia, Craig Childs says it is a "blank space" in the collective memory of most Americans. His newest book fills up that space with firsthand adventures and exploration.
The Casa Padre shelter for child migrants is the largest of its kind in the US. But the children still aren’t free to leave, and have a difficult time making their case, especially if they were separated from their parents.
The Trump administration has recently implemented a policy of separating migrant children from their parents if they cross the southern border other than at a checkpoint. But they began testing a similar policy a year ago.
Migrating songbirds have finally found the springtime weather in North America that they need to survive and thrive. Only a couple of weeks ago, they had to fight unusual cold and deep snows in the Northern states.
The end of Temporary Protected Status for many immigrants threatens the university’s support staff — and many of the campus’s more active union members.
After weeks of travel across Mexico by bus, freight train and foot, more than 150 migrants from Central America — part of a caravan that has gained international attention — await their turn to apply for asylum at the Southern US border. Just how does the process work?
Some lawyers question why US border officials are unable to process the asylum-seeking migrants from Central America, as the "caravan" has made international headlines during its travels north through Mexico.
Protests began last week after the government of President Daniel Ortega, a former leftist guerrilla leader whom critics accuse of trying to build a family dictatorship, launched a plan to overhaul the Central American country's welfare system.
A year-long investigation by the New York Times shows the huge unmet need for kidney transplants across the world, and how Costa Rica has become a key place for people willing to buy themselves off of massive waiting lists.
A young couple from El Salvador explains why they crossed illegally into the US and how rising danger in their homeland forced their children on the dangerous trip north to join them.
The practice of catching sharks and cutting off their fins for soup and other products is lucrative business, and regulated. But illegal "finning" is tough to stop: Exhibit A is Costa Rica, which claims to be a global leader in environmental sustainability.
China's $50 billion plan for a new Central American canal connecting Atlantic and Pacific may damage the freshwater Lake Nicaragua, changing the environment for those who depend upon it. The plan faces opposition in parts of the country.
This year, an increasing number of Central American attempted to enter the US illegally. Now, as many are deported back home, there are concerns that due process was not served while they were held in detention facilities in the United States.
At first, there were isolated protests in border states like California and Arizona over relocating migrant children to detention centers while they awaited immigration proceedings. This weekend, anger and protests spread across the US, reaching New Hampshire, Maine, Minnesota and even Alaska.
Most of the phosphorus used for crop fertilizer currently comes from phosphate rock on land, but those supplies are dwindling. An plan in Mexico for the world’s first underwater phosphate mine dredges up questions about priorities.
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Justice
The US Coast Guard is operating floating prisons in the Pacific Ocean, outside US legal protections
PRI's The World
November 24, 2017
There's a secret US detention system in the War on Drugs, too — and this one is aboard US Coast Guard cutters sailing in the Pacific Ocean.
Medicine
How Costa Rica became the epicenter of the black market in kidneys
The Takeaway
August 19, 2014
A year-long investigation by the New York Times shows the huge unmet need for kidney transplants across the world, and how Costa Rica has become a key place for people willing to buy themselves off of massive waiting lists.
Justice
Why some people seeking asylum in the US are afraid of going to court
PRI's The World
August 01, 2017
The fates of Central American families seeking asylum in the United States are particularly stark.
Justice
Why would any parent send their kids on the deadly trip to cross the Mexico-US border? Here's why.
PRI's The World
August 18, 2014
Updated
A young couple from El Salvador explains why they crossed illegally into the US and how rising danger in their homeland forced their children on the dangerous trip north to join them.
Science, Tech & Environment
Shark finning proves tough to eradicate, even in 'green' Costa Rica
PRI's The World
December 17, 2013
The practice of catching sharks and cutting off their fins for soup and other products is lucrative business, and regulated. But illegal "finning" is tough to stop: Exhibit A is Costa Rica, which claims to be a global leader in environmental sustainability.
Environment
China's American canal could sacrifice Nicaragua's great lake
PRI's The World
February 19, 2015
Updated
China's $50 billion plan for a new Central American canal connecting Atlantic and Pacific may damage the freshwater Lake Nicaragua, changing the environment for those who depend upon it. The plan faces opposition in parts of the country.
Conflict
Families that are deported after crossing the border say they return home feeling hopeless and desperate
PRI's The World
September 04, 2014
This year, an increasing number of Central American attempted to enter the US illegally. Now, as many are deported back home, there are concerns that due process was not served while they were held in detention facilities in the United States.
Conflict & Justice
Protests spread north over unaccompanied migrant children coming to 'our town'
PRI's The World
July 21, 2014
At first, there were isolated protests in border states like California and Arizona over relocating migrant children to detention centers while they awaited immigration proceedings. This weekend, anger and protests spread across the US, reaching New Hampshire, Maine, Minnesota and even Alaska.
Environment
We need phosphate to grow food. But should we be digging it up from the sea floor?
PRI's The World
October 04, 2016
Most of the phosphorus used for crop fertilizer currently comes from phosphate rock on land, but those supplies are dwindling. An plan in Mexico for the world’s first underwater phosphate mine dredges up questions about priorities.
Arts, Culture & Media
How the US is trying to deter migrants from Central America — with music
PRI's The World
July 17, 2014
A catchy song is getting plenty of play on Central American airwaves, but not everyone knows it was funded by the US government.