President of Mexico Felipe Calderón travels to Washington this week amidst ongoing security worries and rising U.S. tensions over immigration. But experts say the meeting also provides a chance to boost bilateral relations and cooperation.

The signing of SB 1070 in Arizona threatens the ability of all Latinos to integrate into the state’s workforce and communities and is likely to stifle Latino entrepreneurship and socioeconomic mobility.

A tough new Arizona immigration law relaunched debate about immigration reform this week. The Mexican government issued a travel warning against Arizona and critics say the law could lead to racial profiling as well an economic drain on the state.

Brazil's Defense Minister Nelson Jobim traveled to Washington to sign a bilateral military agreement with U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates on April 12. The accord marks the frst military pact between the two countries since 1977. Gates travels this week to Peru, Colombia, and Barbados.

Data reconfirms the worrisome trend that more must be done to facilitate Hispanics’ access to financial services, writes Adrián Franco, executive director of Qualitas of Life.

A dispute over U.S. cotton subsidies took another turn this week when Brazil announced plans to suspend intellectual property rights on some U.S. products. That and retaliatory tariff measures are slated to take effect in April, though both sides hold hopes for negotiations.

An AS/COA program with Portland’s mayor and the Oregon Speaker of the House addressed how sectors can collaborate to promote Latino workforce development.