Task Force on the Americas
The Task Force on the Americas developed out of a February 2006 delegation to Venezuela, an effort sponsored by the NLG and National Latino/a Law Students Association. The delegation of 16 lawyers, 6 law students, and a filmmaker spent a week in Caracas and was inspired by the Bolivarian Revolution and its effort to further regional integration and an alternative to neoliberal trade policies in the Americas. The Task Force then sponsored a U.S. tour of Justice Fernando Vegas of the Venezuela Supreme Court.
We then sent a delegation to Bolivia in 2007 and have sent several groups to observe elections in Venezuela, El Salvador, Honduras, and Bolivia. We have also sent delegations to Guatemala, Honduras, and Colombia to investigate and report on human rights issues. The Task Force has sponsored numerous workshops at NLG conventions and works in conjunction with other progressive organizations on human rights campaigns. We have a listserv and hold annual meetings at the NLG convention.
Because Venezuela's revolution is based on that country's 1999 constitution and laws pursuant to it, and because constitutional change has been a key demand of progressive forces in Bolivia, Ecuador, and Honduras, lawyers and judges from the US can play an important role in explaining developments in left-leaning states, resisting US intervention, and countering US media disinformation.
Archives of TFA News, 2007-2014
Contact the Task Force
Chair Judy Somberg: judy_somberg@igc.org
TFA Updates
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NLG urges the Biden Administration to move swiftly to work positively with Gustavo Petro and Francia Márquez Mina, President and Vice-President Elect of Colombia
The National Lawyers Guild (NLG) called upon the Biden administration to act quickly to work productively with the new Colombian president and vice-president, Gustavo Petro and Francia Márquez Mina, following the runoff elections on Sunday, June 19, 2022. In a letter addressed to President Biden, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and U.S. Ambassador to Colombia […]
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National Lawyers Guild Calls for International Solidarity with Colombia During the Upcoming May 29, 2022 Elections and Adequate Protections for Candidates by the Colombian Government
The National Lawyers Guild (NLG) joins statements concerning the upcoming presidential elections in Colombia. We implore the current government and its functionaries to abide by the will of the people and ensure the safety of members of El Pacto Histórico regardless of the election outcome. We also reaffirm our solidarity with progressive organizations and individuals […]
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Migrant Advocates Mark First Anniversary of March for the Children in El Paso: Close to 1,500 Children Still Detained in Controversial Emergency Intake Site at Fort Bliss
A Statement by Witness at the Border, addressed to the Biden Administration April 30 is Children’s Day (Día del Niño) in Mexico. Last year, on April 30, 2021, we partnered with several local organizations to Walk for the Children / Caminata por la Niñez in El Paso, Texas. A total of 79 organizations and […]
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Alex Saab, A Diplomat Without Immunity. Webinar, Apr 26 At 3pm ET / 12pm PT #Free Alex Saab.
This webinar includes the latest updates on the case. We will be joined by Camilla Fabri Saab, wife of Alex Saab Presenters include: – Alfred de Zayas, former rapporteur on Venezuela for United Nations Human Rights Council – Suzanne Adely, President of the National Lawyers Guild – Oscar Lopez Rivera, former Puerto Rican political prisoner and Honorary Chair of […]
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Tuesday, 5 April: #FreeAlexSaab webinar
Tuesday April 5, 7 pm ET, 6 pm Central Time Alex Saab’s trial starts April 6 in Miami. This webinar includes the latest updates on the case. Protests demanding his freedom will take place in Miami, Boston, New York City, Washington DC, and Chicago. Presenters: Alfred de Zayas, former rapporteur on Venezuela for United Nations Human […]
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Video: Launch of International People’s Tribunal on U.S. Imperialism: Sanctions, Blockades & Economic Coercive Measures
The United States, with the support of the United Nations and European Union, has imposed sanctions and other economic coercive measures on over 30 percent of the global population, mostly located in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Sanctions are one of the key tools of U.S. imperialism, leading to mass starvation and suffering of […]
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Guapinol Water Defenders in Honduras – 2/22/22 Case Update
The 8 Water Defenders of the Guapinol and San Pedro Rivers have been in detention since 2019 on charges related to their peaceful opposition to a mining project, inside the Carlos Escaleras National Park in Bajo Aguan region of Honduras, that polluted the rivers their community depends upon. On September 7, 2018 their protest […]
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National Lawyers Guild International Calls for the Immediate Release of Venezuelan Diplomat Alex Saab
The National Lawyers Guild International calls for the immediate release of Venezuelan Special Envoy Alex Saab, imprisoned in a Miami federal prison by the United States in a violation of diplomatic norms and protections. The arrest, extradition and continued imprisonment of Saab is a reflection of the extent to which the U.S. government will go […]
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Honduran Supreme Court holds Guapinol Defender trial violates international human rights obligations
The NLG-IC, member of Observatory for Justice of the Guapinol and San Pedro River Defenders in Colón, Honduras, welcomes the Court decisions published yesterday by the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Judicial Court of Honduras. The rulings resolved two outstanding amparo actions (requests for injunctive relief) presented by the environmentalists’ defense during 2020 and 2021 […]
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Honduras: Guapinol Water defenders trial concludes Friday Feb 4th, NLG IC issues letter to US Embassy
On Wednesday, Feb. 2, the National Lawyers Guild International Committee, which has been working with a number of human rights organizations in the framework of the Observatory for Justice for the Guapinol River Defenders, sent an urgent letter to U.S. human rights attache to Honduras, Ariel Jahner, urging action on the case. These men have […]
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