The Central America and Mexico Policy Initiative recently published a report, with Vecina’s assistance, that focuses on migrant kidnappings in Nuevo Laredo due to the crime’s high frequency and its systematic nature. Migrant kidnappings are largely concentrated in a few sites around the city, and kidnappings follow a similar modus operandi. In fact, the practice is so common that members of organized crime in Nuevo Laredo allegedly refer to migrant kidnappings as “passing through the office.” Migrant kidnappings also commonly take place in other cities along the U.S.-Mexico border, but none follow quite the same systematic pattern as in Nuevo Laredo. For more information, see the report here.
The Central America and Mexico Policy Initiative (CAMPI), led by CAMPI Director Stephanie Leutert and CAMPI Fellow Caitlyn Yates, have released the February 2026 update on "Migration Dynamics and Conditions at the U.S.-Mexico Border." This February 2026 migration dynamics and conditions update focuses on current U.S. asylum restrictions at ports of entry and migrants’ experiences in Mexican border cities. It draws on phone and WhatsApp...
The Central America and Mexico Policy Initiative (CAMPI), led by CAMPI Director Stephanie Leutert and CAMPI Fellow Caitlyn Yates, have released the November 2025 update on "Migration Dynamics and Conditions at the U.S.-Mexico Border." This report focuses on current U.S. asylum restrictions at ports of entry and migrants' experiences in Mexican border cities. It draws on phone and WhatsApp interviews with Mexican government officials and...
Stephanie Leutert, Director of the Central America and Mexico Policy Initiative, published an article in International Migration Review with Dr. Mary Evans and Ludovica Gazze, titled "Rescue Beacons and Migrant Deaths in Southern Arizona." This article aims to better understand the Border Patrol's humanitarian activities and their effects by exploring the relationship between rescue beacons and migrant deaths in Pima County, Arizona...