As U.S. states tussle with the federal government over who has the authority to enforce immigration law, Latin American governments’ protests grow louder.

In a June 17 letter to the U.S. House Majority Leader John Boehner and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, the Council of the Americas urges swift passage of free-trade agreements with Colombia and Panama.

The U.S. labor secretary offers a blueprint for immigration reform.

During COA's annual Washington Conference, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called on Latin American governments to speed up reforms, saying that U.S. President Barack Obama is pushing to get Congress to pass the stalled trade agreements with Colombia and Panama.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke at Council of the Americas' 41st Annual Washington Conference, discussing economic and security cooperation in the hemisphere, immigration, social inclusion, and her support for the pending free trade agreements with Colombia and Panama.

Following her remarks at COA's Washington Conference, the assistant secretary of state writes in a post for U.S. State Department's DipNote that "the United States' road to recovery lies right here in our region."

Sure, President Obama’s trip hit all the right symbolic notes, but will it produce any meaningful, concrete results over the long term?