Adam Isacson
@adamisacson.com
He/Him. I work on security, borders, and migration at the Washington Office on Latin America (my views, not necessarily theirs). I'm also at wola.org, adamisacson.com, borderoversight.org, Mastodon elefanti.co/@adam
Reposted by Adam Isacson
Border Patrol agents led by Greg Bovino have used force far more often relative to assaults they've faced than anywhere else in that agency, according to a new @pogo.org & Amer. Uni. Investigative Reporting Workshop analysis of four ys of federal data
www.pogo.org/investigatio...
www.pogo.org/investigatio...
Greg Bovino’s Border Patrol Agents Use Disproportionate Force, Data…
Border Patrol agents in the El Centro Sector have reported using force on other people more than three times as many times as they have faced assaults – a ratio higher than anywhere else in the agency...
www.pogo.org
November 10, 2025 at 6:46 PM
Border Patrol agents led by Greg Bovino have used force far more often relative to assaults they've faced than anywhere else in that agency, according to a new @pogo.org & Amer. Uni. Investigative Reporting Workshop analysis of four ys of federal data
www.pogo.org/investigatio...
www.pogo.org/investigatio...
Look at all the “competitive authoritarianism” and “authoritarian playbook” cases around the world. Nearly everywhere, the “feckless opposition party that fails to meet the moment” is a major character in the story.
November 10, 2025 at 3:59 AM
Look at all the “competitive authoritarianism” and “authoritarian playbook” cases around the world. Nearly everywhere, the “feckless opposition party that fails to meet the moment” is a major character in the story.
Senate Democrats apple pie recipe:
- Make crust, cut apples, add sugar, butter, cinnamon
- Place top crust and put in oven at 375
- When nearly golden brown and exuding delicious aroma: remove pie from oven and throw in garbage
- Make crust, cut apples, add sugar, butter, cinnamon
- Place top crust and put in oven at 375
- When nearly golden brown and exuding delicious aroma: remove pie from oven and throw in garbage
November 9, 2025 at 11:29 PM
Senate Democrats apple pie recipe:
- Make crust, cut apples, add sugar, butter, cinnamon
- Place top crust and put in oven at 375
- When nearly golden brown and exuding delicious aroma: remove pie from oven and throw in garbage
- Make crust, cut apples, add sugar, butter, cinnamon
- Place top crust and put in oven at 375
- When nearly golden brown and exuding delicious aroma: remove pie from oven and throw in garbage
Latin America-Related Events in Washington and Online This Week
7 events about Latin America this week, that I know about, that can be attended in person in Washington or online anywhere.
7 events about Latin America this week, that I know about, that can be attended in person in Washington or online anywhere.
adamisacson.com
November 8, 2025 at 7:14 PM
Latin America-Related Events in Washington and Online This Week
7 events about Latin America this week, that I know about, that can be attended in person in Washington or online anywhere.
7 events about Latin America this week, that I know about, that can be attended in person in Washington or online anywhere.
"Impede caravans" sounds way more festive than they intend.
Something with a name like that would probably involve a lot of jam band music. "I got this hemp necklace from a merch table at the impede caravan."
Something with a name like that would probably involve a lot of jam band music. "I got this hemp necklace from a merch table at the impede caravan."
November 8, 2025 at 1:47 PM
"Impede caravans" sounds way more festive than they intend.
Something with a name like that would probably involve a lot of jam band music. "I got this hemp necklace from a merch table at the impede caravan."
Something with a name like that would probably involve a lot of jam band music. "I got this hemp necklace from a merch table at the impede caravan."
The @apnews.com confirms: the "boat strikes" are the equivalent of straight-up massacring 16-year-old drug dealers on US street corners.
It satisfies some people's anger or bloodlust, but hitting the poorest and most replaceable links in the trafficking chain does nothing to affect drug supplies.
It satisfies some people's anger or bloodlust, but hitting the poorest and most replaceable links in the trafficking chain does nothing to affect drug supplies.
The Trump administration alleges the boats targeted by recent U.S. strikes were being operated by narco-terrorists and cartel members. The AP identified four of the men who were on the boats—and found the truth is far more nuanced.
Trump has accused boat crews of being narco-terrorists. The truth, AP found, is more nuanced
One was a fisherman struggling to eke out a living on $100 a month. Another was a career criminal. A third was a former military cadet.
bit.ly
November 7, 2025 at 3:56 PM
The @apnews.com confirms: the "boat strikes" are the equivalent of straight-up massacring 16-year-old drug dealers on US street corners.
It satisfies some people's anger or bloodlust, but hitting the poorest and most replaceable links in the trafficking chain does nothing to affect drug supplies.
It satisfies some people's anger or bloodlust, but hitting the poorest and most replaceable links in the trafficking chain does nothing to affect drug supplies.
In this week's @WOLA_org US-Mexico Border Update:
- Fiscal 2025 Drug Seizures
- Pope Leo speaks out about US migration policies
- Notes from elsewhere in the hemisphere
- Links: “mass deportation” and rights in the US interior
Some graphical highlights 🧵
- Fiscal 2025 Drug Seizures
- Pope Leo speaks out about US migration policies
- Notes from elsewhere in the hemisphere
- Links: “mass deportation” and rights in the US interior
Some graphical highlights 🧵
Weekly U.S.-Mexico Border Update: Drug seizure data, Pope Leo voices concern, updates from the Americas - WOLA
Seizures of fentanyl plummeted, but cocaine increased, at the border in fiscal 2025. Pope Leo again voiced strong concern about migrants' rights in the United States. Mexico's asylum system is teeteri...
www.wola.org
November 7, 2025 at 3:35 PM
In this week's @WOLA_org US-Mexico Border Update:
- Fiscal 2025 Drug Seizures
- Pope Leo speaks out about US migration policies
- Notes from elsewhere in the hemisphere
- Links: “mass deportation” and rights in the US interior
Some graphical highlights 🧵
- Fiscal 2025 Drug Seizures
- Pope Leo speaks out about US migration policies
- Notes from elsewhere in the hemisphere
- Links: “mass deportation” and rights in the US interior
Some graphical highlights 🧵
Wow, this leak to CNN very likely means no attacks inside Venezuela for now.
www.cnn.com/2025/11/06/p...
www.cnn.com/2025/11/06/p...
November 7, 2025 at 11:53 AM
Wow, this leak to CNN very likely means no attacks inside Venezuela for now.
www.cnn.com/2025/11/06/p...
www.cnn.com/2025/11/06/p...
All Democrats (including Fetterman this time), plus Rs Paul and Murkowski, were not enough to put the brakes on a possible US military intervention in Venezuela.
Thanks to everyone who made calls and tried to pry away moderate Republicans who remain glued to Trump even after Tuesday’s vote outcome.
Thanks to everyone who made calls and tried to pry away moderate Republicans who remain glued to Trump even after Tuesday’s vote outcome.
Not agreed to, 49-51: Motion to discharge from Foreign Relations Committee S.J.Res.90, Kaine War Powers Resolution (Venezuela).
November 6, 2025 at 11:22 PM
All Democrats (including Fetterman this time), plus Rs Paul and Murkowski, were not enough to put the brakes on a possible US military intervention in Venezuela.
Thanks to everyone who made calls and tried to pry away moderate Republicans who remain glued to Trump even after Tuesday’s vote outcome.
Thanks to everyone who made calls and tried to pry away moderate Republicans who remain glued to Trump even after Tuesday’s vote outcome.
Like dozens of judges (including Trump appointees) who’ve had to spell out what their rulings mean, a resolution before the Senate today spells out, in the case of Venezuela, what “Congress’s power to declare war” means.
This should pass easily—if Congress still cares about being a coequal branch.
This should pass easily—if Congress still cares about being a coequal branch.
November 6, 2025 at 12:01 PM
Like dozens of judges (including Trump appointees) who’ve had to spell out what their rulings mean, a resolution before the Senate today spells out, in the case of Venezuela, what “Congress’s power to declare war” means.
This should pass easily—if Congress still cares about being a coequal branch.
This should pass easily—if Congress still cares about being a coequal branch.
Not true obviously, but you save more lives when you stop a vessel and arrest those aboard, alive, if they're actually trafficking drugs.
Instead of drowned bodies, you get useful intel about their criminal structures, their support networks, their finances, and future vessels.
Instead of drowned bodies, you get useful intel about their criminal structures, their support networks, their finances, and future vessels.
November 6, 2025 at 11:47 AM
Not true obviously, but you save more lives when you stop a vessel and arrest those aboard, alive, if they're actually trafficking drugs.
Instead of drowned bodies, you get useful intel about their criminal structures, their support networks, their finances, and future vessels.
Instead of drowned bodies, you get useful intel about their criminal structures, their support networks, their finances, and future vessels.
The resolution going before the Senate tomorrow makes a simple demand: no U.S. hostilities in Venezuela unless Congress—which has the power to declare war—approves. This should be uncontroversial, regardless of party.
November 6, 2025 at 12:34 AM
The resolution going before the Senate tomorrow makes a simple demand: no U.S. hostilities in Venezuela unless Congress—which has the power to declare war—approves. This should be uncontroversial, regardless of party.
"Border Report" says Border Patrol apprehended people 7,990 times at the U.S.-Mexico border in October: www.borderreport.com/immigration/...
If so, then increases since the summer have leveled off amid the continued unavailability of asylum at the border and climate of fear in the US interior.
If so, then increases since the summer have leveled off amid the continued unavailability of asylum at the border and climate of fear in the US interior.
November 5, 2025 at 10:51 PM
"Border Report" says Border Patrol apprehended people 7,990 times at the U.S.-Mexico border in October: www.borderreport.com/immigration/...
If so, then increases since the summer have leveled off amid the continued unavailability of asylum at the border and climate of fear in the US interior.
If so, then increases since the summer have leveled off amid the continued unavailability of asylum at the border and climate of fear in the US interior.
Here's the fake ID I use to get into Safeway.
November 5, 2025 at 1:53 PM
Here's the fake ID I use to get into Safeway.
7 of the last 9 illegal boat strikes, spanning 15 days, have happened in the eastern Pacific. Not the Caribbean, far from Venezuela.
(Hurricane Melissa may have been a factor, but who knows.)
(Hurricane Melissa may have been a factor, but who knows.)
November 5, 2025 at 12:44 PM
7 of the last 9 illegal boat strikes, spanning 15 days, have happened in the eastern Pacific. Not the Caribbean, far from Venezuela.
(Hurricane Melissa may have been a factor, but who knows.)
(Hurricane Melissa may have been a factor, but who knows.)
The NJ race was supposed to be close but Sherrill may end up with a margin similar to Spanberger's.
November 5, 2025 at 2:11 AM
The NJ race was supposed to be close but Sherrill may end up with a margin similar to Spanberger's.
Loudon County VA voted D+19 in 2017, D+11 in '21, D+16 in '24.
Now, D+28—a 12-point swing.
If you’re a Republican legislator who won your seat by <10 points, the President’s unpopularity clearly threatens your job.
Something to consider before the next vote on, say, “presidential war powers.”
Now, D+28—a 12-point swing.
If you’re a Republican legislator who won your seat by <10 points, the President’s unpopularity clearly threatens your job.
Something to consider before the next vote on, say, “presidential war powers.”
November 5, 2025 at 1:09 AM
Loudon County VA voted D+19 in 2017, D+11 in '21, D+16 in '24.
Now, D+28—a 12-point swing.
If you’re a Republican legislator who won your seat by <10 points, the President’s unpopularity clearly threatens your job.
Something to consider before the next vote on, say, “presidential war powers.”
Now, D+28—a 12-point swing.
If you’re a Republican legislator who won your seat by <10 points, the President’s unpopularity clearly threatens your job.
Something to consider before the next vote on, say, “presidential war powers.”
This is the sort of stuff that you miss out on when you're a Latin Americanist:
No no, they look like they’re in Kandahar circa 2012. The Marines cleared Fallujah in way more budget gear, no fancy plate carriers or high-cut helmets.
Except for the masks. The masks make them look like Iraqi National Police sectarian hit squads in 2006 Iraq.
Except for the masks. The masks make them look like Iraqi National Police sectarian hit squads in 2006 Iraq.
The photos in this Chicago Tribune piece… It's a quiet middle-class inner suburb, but these guys look like they're in Fallujah circa 2006.
The uniforms indicate Border Patrol and its BORTAC "special operations" unit.
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/31/c...
The uniforms indicate Border Patrol and its BORTAC "special operations" unit.
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/31/c...
November 3, 2025 at 6:51 PM
This is the sort of stuff that you miss out on when you're a Latin Americanist:
The photos in this Chicago Tribune piece… It's a quiet middle-class inner suburb, but these guys look like they're in Fallujah circa 2006.
The uniforms indicate Border Patrol and its BORTAC "special operations" unit.
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/31/c...
The uniforms indicate Border Patrol and its BORTAC "special operations" unit.
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/31/c...
November 3, 2025 at 6:31 PM
The photos in this Chicago Tribune piece… It's a quiet middle-class inner suburb, but these guys look like they're in Fallujah circa 2006.
The uniforms indicate Border Patrol and its BORTAC "special operations" unit.
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/31/c...
The uniforms indicate Border Patrol and its BORTAC "special operations" unit.
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/31/c...
This is Wednesday: at WOLA and livestreamed. Don't miss it—here's the event/RSVP page: www.wola.org/events/uncha...
November 3, 2025 at 6:15 PM
This is Wednesday: at WOLA and livestreamed. Don't miss it—here's the event/RSVP page: www.wola.org/events/uncha...
"U.S. troops in Mexico would mainly use drone strikes to hit drug labs and cartel members and leaders… the administration plans to maintain secrecy around it and not publicize actions associated with it."
"U.S. troops in Mexico": just sit with that one for a moment.
"U.S. troops in Mexico": just sit with that one for a moment.
Trump administration is planning new mission in Mexico against cartels, current and former U.S. officials say
The new operation would include U.S. troops on the ground in Mexico striking drug labs and cartel leaders, according to current and former U.S. officials, though a deployment is not imminent.
www.nbcnews.com
November 3, 2025 at 12:09 PM
"U.S. troops in Mexico would mainly use drone strikes to hit drug labs and cartel members and leaders… the administration plans to maintain secrecy around it and not publicize actions associated with it."
"U.S. troops in Mexico": just sit with that one for a moment.
"U.S. troops in Mexico": just sit with that one for a moment.
I come from people who still haven't gotten over the Dodgers leaving Brooklyn. But after all that Los Angeles has been through over the past year, from devastating fires to Greg Bovino's raids, I'd say the Dodgers can have this one.
November 3, 2025 at 12:06 PM
I come from people who still haven't gotten over the Dodgers leaving Brooklyn. But after all that Los Angeles has been through over the past year, from devastating fires to Greg Bovino's raids, I'd say the Dodgers can have this one.
Latin America-Related Events in Washington and Online This Week
6 events about Latin America this week, that I know about, that can be attended in person in Washington or online anywhere.
6 events about Latin America this week, that I know about, that can be attended in person in Washington or online anywhere.
Latin America-Related Events in Washington and Online This Week - Adam Isacson
6 events about Latin America this week, that I know about, that can be attended in person in Washington or online anywhere.
adamisacson.com
November 3, 2025 at 1:57 AM
Latin America-Related Events in Washington and Online This Week
6 events about Latin America this week, that I know about, that can be attended in person in Washington or online anywhere.
6 events about Latin America this week, that I know about, that can be attended in person in Washington or online anywhere.
- 1st month of strikes: 3 attacks, 17 deaths
- 2nd month of strikes: 12 attacks, 48 deaths
It is now 60 days since the first illegal boat strike in the waters of Latin America. That is an important date for the War Powers Resolution (see www.justsecurity.org/123717/war-p...).
- 2nd month of strikes: 12 attacks, 48 deaths
It is now 60 days since the first illegal boat strike in the waters of Latin America. That is an important date for the War Powers Resolution (see www.justsecurity.org/123717/war-p...).
November 2, 2025 at 2:52 PM
- 1st month of strikes: 3 attacks, 17 deaths
- 2nd month of strikes: 12 attacks, 48 deaths
It is now 60 days since the first illegal boat strike in the waters of Latin America. That is an important date for the War Powers Resolution (see www.justsecurity.org/123717/war-p...).
- 2nd month of strikes: 12 attacks, 48 deaths
It is now 60 days since the first illegal boat strike in the waters of Latin America. That is an important date for the War Powers Resolution (see www.justsecurity.org/123717/war-p...).