About Polinotes

Polinotes (Policy & Political Notes) provides independent, non-partisan analysis of border and immigration issues through position papers, policy papers, opposition research and white papers written by Martín Paredes. An immigrant from México, Martín, who was raised in México, has lived on both sides of the border, including on the U.S.-México border where he built his technology company. Martín has been observing and writing about border issues since 1994.

The papers published by Martín Paredes provide an independent analysis of issues from the perspective of someone who has experienced them from both sides of the border.

By signing up for the Polinotes Newsletter, you will receive a copy of each position paper as it is released to the public. Because research takes time, there is no set time frame for the frequency of each paper’s release. In addition to the time required to complete the research, some of the papers produced by Martín Paredes are created under contract. Papers, such as opposition research, created for a campaign are not released publicly until such time as it will not influence an ongoing political campaign or advocacy outreach. However, Martín is committed to releasing all papers to the public.

Subscribers to Polinotes will also have access to special briefings about issues related to the border that may suddenly become relevant to the readers. Such briefings may include analysis of news stories or add context to an issue making headlines.

Topics include, but are not limited to, are immigration, cross-border crime, the Drug War, border security, U.S.-México geopolitics, political candidates which can influence border politics, including municipalities on both sides of the border, and other topics related to the U.S.-México border.

Through research, Martín hopes to add important context to border issues by providing a unique and deeper understanding of the complex issues of the border. It is Martín’s hope that his research emboldens conversations about border issues beyond the headlines that drive today’s border debates.

Believing in telling the stories of those intimidated into silence through economic terrorism, catch and kill, or by the unwillingness to publish because a story may be uncomfortable to some, Martín hopes to give voices to those overlooked in the narratives about the border.

Believing that independent journalism, not driven by advertising or donor dollars, is fundamental to Democracy, Martín launched El Paso’s first digital newspaper in 1999. Since then, Martín has been writing and observing the issues of the border, including witnessing first-hand the rise of the Juárez cartel to become one of the leading Mexican drug organizations while building his business in Cd. Juárez. Martín provided first-hand accounts of the height of the 2008-2010 deadly drug war violence in Juárez, including a first-hand narrative titled; “A day chasing death in Juárez: But how dangerous is it, really? (https://elpasonews.org/2009/09/07/a-day-chasing-death-in-juarez-but-how-dangerous-is-it-really/)

Martín’s work is cited routinely in scholarly works and in other papers. Martín has published two books about the drug war in México and is working on several other books about the border and the drug trade, in addition to numerous papers.

Becoming a subscriber to Polinotes provides you access to border perspectives not found anywhere else.