Violence, crime and national security provide the themes this week on Latin Pulse. First, the program reviews security in Mexico, and discusses the rise of various cartels, especially the Sinaloa Cartel. Another in-depth part of the program deals with the crisis in El Salvador due to the involvement of street gangs in a transportation strike. Both segments discuss how the central governments in these countries do not have the power to stop the criminal groups. The news segment of the program covers the border crisis between Venezuela and Colombia due to unauthorized immigration, violence and the influence of criminal groups.

Pursuit of justice in major human rights cases in Central America provide the main themes this week on Latin Pulse. First, the program considers the potential extradition of Inocente Montano, a former high-ranking military official in El Salvador who a Spanish court is attempting to try for his part in ordering the massacre of Jesuit priests and religious workers. The second case concerns former dictator Efrain Rios Montt accused of genocide in the killing of Mayan villagers in Guatemala. The news segment of the program covers the controversies swirling around the reopening of the U.S. embassy in Havana.

Colombia and its civil war provide some of the central themes this week on Latin Pulse. The program discusses land reform, rural development, and indigenous issues and how they are related to the civil war. Some of the program discusses the conflict between business development in Colombian and rural residents. The program also reflects on the Colombian emigrant experience and the various social and cultural forms that this community works to keep alive. The program discusses Colombian music, dance, and customs. The news segment of the program covers the debt default of Puerto Rico and its economic crisis.