The current political climate in the US has given rise to a form of political violence long favored by authoritarian dictators in Latin America – enforced disappearances. From Chile and Argentina to Colombia and El Salvador, nearly every country in the Americas experienced the horror of “los desaparecidos” over the course of the 20th century. What drove the proliferation of this practice, and what was the United States’ relationship to it?

In this in-person educational event we will introduce the history of enforced disappearances and delve into both contemporary and historical political analysis to understand what the sudden appearance of this specific form of state terror here in the US means.

Please stay tuned for the event location to be announced.

The event will feature a short presentation and an interactive discussion. Comrades are encouraged to review the following readings as foundation for discussion at the event:

• Enforced Disappearances and Corruption in Latin America (1986) - Heinz Dieterich (12 Pages). Dieterich introduces the historical origins of enforced disappearances and tracks its use across Central and South America, all the while providing vital political analysis as to the social forces driving its continued use.
• Jewish Currents: Marketing Authoritarianism (2025) - Dennis M. Hogan and Matthew Ellis (7 Pages). In this recent article from Jewish Currents, the authors draw a direct connection between the second Trump Administration and the Bukele administration in El Salvador, using their shared obsession with the spectacle of state violence as a focal point.