Ambassador Yehuda Kaploun, the State Department’s antisemitism envoy, revealed on Monday that the U.S. expects several Latin American countries to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism in the coming months. 

Kaploun made the comments at a press conference about the Trump administration’s efforts to combat antisemitism ahead of the third anniversary of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel, after being asked to analyze how regional leaders have responded to the rise in anti-Jewish hate.

“There’s a conference in November where we expect to have more Latin American countries to join the IHRA Accords,” Kaploun said. “The Dominican Republic just announced that they’re joining the IHRA Accords. Colombia is revisiting that. Guatemala, Paraguay, Costa Rica, Chile are all in discussions. This is a chance to have a transformative region where people are united against hate.”

“As we say in our office, and we say this often, a country is judged by how it makes citizens feel welcome, how it protects its citizens,” he added. “That’s the first and foremost duty of every single country: Protect your own citizens. That includes the Jewish community, and some countries are failing miserably in that.”

Kaploun pointed to Argentina’s embrace of Israel under President Javier Milei, noting that the Argentine leader spearheaded the Isaac Accords initiative with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this year aimed at boosting ties between Israel and Latin American countries. He also mentioned the pro-Israel shift taking place in Colombia after President Abelardo de la Espriella, a conservative, was sworn in last month. 

“You see how a country can transform itself to positive actions. You see how a country, with the right leadership, is able to stand up and confront hatred,” Kaploun said. “Latin America is transforming right before our eyes.”

“You see a country like Argentina, that 32 years ago had bombings that were done by Iranian terrorists to the Israeli Embassy and a Jewish community center, and now you see Jews have no fear in the street and people are walking with respect and dignity,” he continued, referring to the AMIA bombing, the deadliest terror attack in Argentine history. 

“Colombia, just two months ago, changed their leadership. At the same time, they’ve restored relations with Israel. They’ve restored much better relations within the Jewish community there in Colombia. They’ve made it very, very clear that Colombian Jewish community members are welcome, which wasn’t always the case in the previous administration.”