There are a lot of Americans(and other nationals) who are working in Central and South America for social, economic, and political justice, in a variety of settings (many of them, in association with religious missions and organizations, though this will surprise some of our hardcore religious skeptics, I am sure)--Periodically, they are harassed, arrested, raped, tortured, imprisoned, and on occasion, murdered for their efforts on behalf of the forgotten and oppressed.

The great irony is that, America's sphere of influence being what it is, generally, they are are at odds with governments who are supported and sponsored by our own government--One occasionally begins to think that the same State Department officials who demand justice for them targetted them to begin with--