As crime surges in some Latin American countries, a far-right backlash is brewing

By — Regina Garcia Cano, Associated Press Regina Garcia Cano, Associated Press By — Isabel DeBre, Associated Press Isabel DeBre, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/as-crime-surges-in-some-latin-american-countries-a-far-right-backlash-is-brewing Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter As crime surges in some Latin American countries, a far-right backlash is brewing World Jun 17, 2026 2:27 PM EDT BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — At the start of this decade, Latin America was hurtling to the left. Progressives, seizing on public outrage over entrenched inequities exacerbated by the pandemic, swept to power in many of the region's biggest economies, including Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Peru. A political backlash is brewing, though. Although homicide rates have broadly declined across Latin America compared to a decade ago, spikes in some countries and a regionwide rise in other crimes, particularly extortion, have created the conditions for conservative populists to score votes by promising strong-arm tactics against crime and immigration. READ MORE: Pro-Trump lawyer De la Espriella pulls ahead in Colombia's presidential race with promise of crime crackdown Stump speeches casting migrants as criminals and pitching heavy-handed security strategies popularized by El Salvador's president, Nayib Bukele, have won conservative candidates U.S. President Donald Trump's backing and fired up their disaffected electorates despite concerns that such tactics could encourage human rights abuses or threaten democracy. "You have an emergent right wing that is very much in collaboration across the region and with the U.S. through the MAGA movement, which has also used crime as a rallying cry for political mobilization," said Enrique Roig, vice president of the nonprofit Human Rights First and a former State Department official. "It's easier to sell locking people up than it is to deal with the reasons why mainly young men join gangs in countries like El Salvador." Tough-on-crime platforms swing votes Although populist politics across the political spectrum have done well, only the right has offered short-term security solutions that will make voters "feel safer in six months" even if they have to "sacrifice democracy and human rights," said Adam Isacson, director for defense oversight at the Washington Office on Latin America organization. Proposals offered by the left, such as community violence prevention programs, better police training, and judicial and prison reforms, take more time to bear fruit, he said. WATCH: Hegseth, Miller urge Latin American allies to be more aggressive against drug cartels "It's absolutely what you're supposed to be doing, but people's patience runs out," Isacson said of long-term proposals. "So, there come the Bukeles of the world saying, 'You want to feel better? We got this.'" In Colombia, where swaths of the countryside have fallen into renewed co