El Magonista | Vol. 10, No. 19 | May 12, 2022

No matter where you live in the world, you’re always faced with the task of picking your specific combination of poison and pleasure.

Do you go for (at least the perception of) unlimited opportunities with the thrill of nary a safety net? The United States is your place.

A life where everything simply works the way it’s supposed to, but where you might feel you’re lacking excitement? Perhaps a small western European country will do.

Color and life all around, but combined with big crowds and extreme poverty? There are some cities in India with your name on them.

Many people, of course, have decided that Mexico is the place for them, and many more are increasingly deciding to stay. The reasons are varied, but one thing is for certain: there’s a lot to love about Mexico, and plenty decide that the pleasures it has to offer far outweigh the poisons... READ MORE

Voters should keep two goals in mind when deciding how to mark their ballot for Los Angeles County sheriff in the June 7 primary election. The first is to remove the destructive, costly embarrassment that is incumbent Sheriff Alex Villanueva by voting for one of his eight challengers. And the next is to pick the challenger with the experience and integrity to reverse the department’s slide into chaos and rebuild trust with the public that Villanueva has destroyed with his lies, self-serving stunts and general incompetence. 

Several current and former sheriff’s deputies and command staff who are justly angry at Villanueva lined up to take his place, but most are steeped in the very same dysfunctional culture that has marked the department for decades. And most challengers lack the leadership experience needed to pilot a law enforcement organization of nearly 10,000 deputies and as many unsworn staff.

One candidate — former Long Beach Police Chief Robert Luna — has a stellar law enforcement record from outside the Sheriff’s Department, including leadership roles in national police organizations with a reform bent. After decades of sheriff scandals and ineptitude, and more than three years of Villanueva’s attempts to resist civilian oversight and scuttle hard-won reforms, Luna may well be the department’s last best chance. The Times recommends a vote for Luna for sheriff... READ MORE

All you need to know about Republicans’ supposed deep-seated concern for innocent life is to read the proposed measure, floated by Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas, that would deny undocumented migrant children access to public education.

The governor seems to hope that the Supreme Court’s willingness to overturn Roe v. Wade—as revealed in a leaked draft penned by Justice Samuel Alito—indicates that the 6-3 conservative majority is open to killing other precedents. In this case, Abbott wants to challenge a 1982 Supreme Court ruling, Plyler v. Doe, that mandates public schools admit immigrant children regardless of their legal status.

Abbott is running for his third term in a state that’s increasingly trending purple. But the governor isn’t running to the center, he’s trying to gin up rage on the right. And it seems his advisers have concluded that further demonizing immigrants by denying their children access to education is a winning electoral strategy. 

It’s frightening that Abbott would sink this low to get votes. It’s horrifying that it might work... READ MORE

Migration numbers in the Americas are staggering. More than 6 million Venezuelans have been displaced in the past decade, along with around 100,000 Nicaraguans and hundreds of thousands more from the Northern Triangle countries of Central America. Crossings at the United States’ southern border are at record levels, while migration has also become a major political issue throughout much of South America and the Caribbean.

Governments have attempted to tackle these issues by developing various mechanisms—and although many have worked to some extent, the pressure continues to mount. Humanitarian needs are increasing rapidly and require a bold and more comprehensive response. U.S. President Joe Biden said that signing a regional declaration on migration would be a priority at the upcoming Summit of the Americas.

So, what should be pursued in a forum of this nature... READ MORE