The Council of the Americas held the 38th Annual Washington Conference on the Americas on May 6 and 7, drawing together a selection of the region's most influential officials—including the presidents of the United States and Panama—to address the most pressing policy issues affecting the Western Hemisphere. Read more and access program summaries, as well as audio, from the conference.

In the absence of federal immigration reform and as immigrants settle in new destinations, U.S. states consider related legislation to an increasing degree. An economic slowdown and anti-immigrant laws affect Latino immigrants, who send fewer remittances home.

The North American Competitiveness Council provided a report on April 22 at the North American Leaders Summit in New Orleans. The report argues that government and business leaders must work harder to broaden public understanding of the benefits that flow from liberalized trade and investment within North America.

While at a New Orleans summit, leaders of Mexico, Canada, and the United States responded to recent criticism of NAFTA by lauding the trade deal. They also touched on immigration and border security. 

In an op-ed for the Washington Times, Shankar Singham—a partner with global law firm and COA member Squire Sanders & Dempsey, L.L.P. —warns against anti-free trade rhetoric utilized in current U.S. presidential campaigns. "Those political candidates who have hidden behind trade as the primary reason for economic anxiety are hiding voters from the truth of the new global economy," writes Singham.

AS/COA Director of Policy Jason Marczak asks "Yahoo! Respuestas" users how they believe the U.S. primary process could be changed to boost voter participation. Through a partnership with Yahoo, contributers to Americas Quarterly and News & Views regularly pose questions related to policy in the Western Hemisphere.

Without comprehensive immigration reform at the federal level, U.S. states are now passing their own legislation. In the first of a series of U.S. immigration updates, AS/COA outlines how new state laws affect public benefits, employment, and identification.