Posts By: Dusty Christensen

Dusty Christensen is a writer based in New York City, and a producer of LAND's podcast, Radio Dispatch. His work has appeared at The Nation magazine, NPR's Latino USA, Eight by Eight magazine and Alternet, among other places. He speaks English, Spanish, Russian and Ukrainian with varying degrees of success, and is currently a Quechua-language FLAS Fellow at New York University.

Fourteen Arrested Protesting Georgia University Ban on Undocumented Students

Undocumented students and activists in Georgia staged sit-ins at three state universities on Monday, calling for an end to policies they say unfairly deny undocumented student access to public higher […] Read More >

As UN Debate on Decolonization Begins, Puerto Rico Presses for Self-Determination

NEW YORK — Advocates of Puerto Rican self-determination have for decades claimed that their status as a U.S. commonwealth amounts to second-class citizenship, but regular petitions to the United Nations’ […] Read More >

In Declaring Puerto Rico’s Debt “Unpayable,” Governor Shifts Position on Debt Restructuring

In a televised speech delivered in a somber tone on Monday, Puerto Rican Gov. Alejandro García Padilla said that Puerto Rico’s $73 billion public debt is “unpayable,” confirming similar remarks […] Read More >

U.S. Supreme Court Denies Alan Gross Appeal in Lawsuit Against U.S. Government

NEW YORK — The U.S. Supreme Court denied an appeal on Monday by former government subcontractor Alan Gross, who filed a $60 million lawsuit in 2012 alleging negligence on the […] Read More >

Guatemalans File $1 Billion Lawsuit Over U.S. Government Research that Exposed Subjects to STDs

NEW YORK — More than 750 Guatemalans filed a lawsuit Wednesday in the U.S. city of Baltimore against Johns Hopkins University, drugmaker Bristol-Myers Squibb and The Rockefeller Foundation over their […] Read More >

Investigation Into Argentine President Will Resume

In the latest twist in a case that has captivated Argentina over the past month, a federal prosecutor has decided to move forward with accusations that President Cristina Fernández and […] Read More >

FARC Rebels Announce a Ban on the Recruitment of Child Soldiers

FARC rebels in Colombia announced Thursday an immediate and indefinite ban on the recruitment of child soldiers under 17 years old, a concession that the government and human rights advocates […] Read More >

On the Eve of U.N. Climate Summit in Lima, Concerns Over Climate Change in Latin America

U.N. negotiators will meet this week in Lima, Peru, to begin the latest round of talks aimed at stopping climate change, and diplomats are expressing increasing optimism that a legally […] Read More >

Colombian Government and FARC Agree on Process to Free Kidnapped General

An agreement has been reached between FARC rebels and the Colombia government on steps to release Gen. Rubén Darío Alzate, according to a statement released by the Cuban and Norwegian […] Read More >

São Paulo’s Worst Drought In Decades Linked To Rainforest Depletion: Climatologist

South America’s largest city, São Paulo, Brazil, is experiencing a severe water crisis. A record drought and high water demand from the growing city have severely depleted São Paulo’s main […] Read More >