The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced a record number of deportations for 2011—a fact which may have repercussions in next year’s election.

During his stop in Bogota, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas fell short of getting Colombia's support for Palestine's admission to the UN. But Abbas' Latin American outreach appears to fit into a global strategy to promote Palestinian recognition.

Puerto Rico’s governor introduced legislation that will likely lead to a two-step referendum in 2012 on the island’s territorial status. But it remains to be seen whether the political will to back a status change exists in Puerto Rico or Washington.