El Magonista | Vol. 11, no. 9 | March 16, 2023

How did President Biden go from denouncing the immigration policies of his predecessor to following in his footsteps by proposing a regulation that would make the vast majority of current asylum seekers ineligible? How did he go from decrying the detention of immigrant families to contemplating the mass use of it?

The answer is simple: The numbers went up. Current U.S. border policy — under a fig leaf known as Title 42, a statute activated under a Covid public health order that just about everyone candidly agrees isn’t about public health — puts most border crossers at risk of summary expulsion without any chance to seek asylum. Despite that, last year apprehension levels hit 20-year highs. With the planned expiration of the Title 42 order this spring, the Biden administration is pre-emptively on a crisis footing, rushing to ensure that it will have a crackdown ready for an anticipated surge of asylum seekers.

And that’s exactly the problem. The United States has been intermittently on crisis footing at the border for the past decade. Each administration keeps cycling restlessly through the same few ideas. A family detention facility that Mr. Biden might reopen was built under Barack Obama. The recently proposed regulation — which would essentially withhold asylum from anyone crossing into the United States illegally — is a variation on a proposal from Donald Trump.

The federal government is patently out of ideas. What makes this so frustrating is that it’s not hard to imagine other, better ways to evaluate the health of our immigration system and to improve it.

But we are now stuck in a border-crisis version of “Groundhog Day.” Border apprehensions go up; the administration panics and enacts harsher enforcement; apprehensions decline; the administration declares victory; border apprehensions go up again... READ MORE

Gloria Molina, a trailblazing politician who made history as the first Latina elected to the state Assembly, the Los Angeles City Council and the county Board of Supervisors, said Tuesday she is suffering from terminal cancer.

In a Facebook post, Molina, 74, wrote that the cancer, which she said she has been living with for three years, is “very aggressive.” She said she is being treated at City of Hope, a cancer center, and said she feels fortunate to have lived a “long, fulfilling and beautiful life.”

“I’m really grateful for everyone in my life and proud of my family, career, mi gente, and the work we did on behalf of our community,” Molina wrote in the post, adding that she has a daughter and one grandchild, with another one on the way. “I have an amazing and caring family, wonderful friends, and worked with committed colleagues and a loyal team.”

Molina spent 23 years on the Board of Supervisors, where she represented the 1st District from 1991 to 2014. The district stretched from Koreatown, Pico-Union and East Los Angeles all the way east to Pomona and included much of the San Gabriel Valley.

Molina’s friends and former colleagues called her a fighter, determined to bring more people who looked like her into the white- and male-dominated rooms of California politics. 

“Gloria is a trailblazer,” said Antonia Hernandez, the former longtime president of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund. “Gloria was one of the earliest women to open doors for a whole bunch of other Latina women — not only in L.A., but in California.” 

Hernandez, who as a young lawyer met Molina in 1974, said Molina repeatedly urged Latinas to work in all levels of government. She said Molina was the one who urged her to go to Washington, D.C., and work for Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.). 

“She was always calling. She was always saying there’s an opportunity here,” Hernandez recalled Tuesday. “She really nurtured a lot of folks to go into public service and politics.” 

Miguel Santana, chief executive of the Weingart Foundation, said he was inspired by Molina while in high school and worked for her for 13 years when she was a supervisor. He said Molina, whom he now counts as a close mentor and friend, always stuck out on the board as a tireless advocate for women and Latinas.

“She was always an activist in her way of governing,” Santana recalled. “She was willing to take on any righteous cause... READ MORE

¡AHORA SÍGALE, PRESIDENTE

Pasaron 4 años de amenazas trumpistas, insultos infames, ataques rabiosos, imposiciones prepotentes y arbitrarias, y un mar de persecuciones y violaciones a los derechos humanos de los migrantes mexicanos y latinos de las diásporas latinoamericanas en Estados Unidos. ¿Y el gobierno de la 4T? Chitón callado, y hasta actos de vasallaje y de plano alcahuetismo servil a Donal Trump y su séquito de racistas y xenófobos republicanos.

Iba de por medio la renovación del TLCAN/T-MEC, crear una atmósfera atractiva para las inversiones gringas; y no se iban a sacrificar estas dos cosas por andar defendiendo la dignidad y los derechos de los 40 millones de mexicanos de afuera, no señor. Que se defiendan ellos como puedan, y que se remitan a los modestos servicios consulares -¡y de paso, muchas gracias por las remesas! – porque al “amigo” Trump había que halagarlo, complacerlo, y hasta agradecerle su “respeto a nuestra soberanía” e irlo a visitar para endosar su campaña de reelección.

AMLO se doblegó ignominiosamente ante Trump, no hay vuelta de hoja. Y ahora, cuando cuenta con un demócrata Biden en la Casa Blanca – otro “amigo” que sigue ejecutando terribles políticas trumpistas en la frontera contra los solicitantes de asilo, incumpliendo promesas de regularizar a millones de nuestros paisanos desamparados, y encerrando a decenas de miles de ellos en el gran Gulag carcelario con fines de lucro o deportándolos – AMLO se siente valiente y decide denunciar y condenar a los MISMOS rabiosos republicanos and antes alabó, y que hoy proponen declarar a los cárteles criminales mexicanos como organizaciones terroristas para amenazar con intervenir militarmente a México, como lo hacen en muchos otros lados del mundo.

Es todo un teatro, porque: a) Propongan lo que propongan los prepotentes republicanos en cuanto a declarar a los cárteles terroristas – para alebrestar a sus bases – no tiene ninguna chance de ser adoptado como ley, ni que en su caso Biden la ejecutara con intervenciones unilaterales. b) Le sirve a AMLO para hacer su desplante de defensor de la patria – ¡sin afectar la relación con Biden, y 4 años tarde!... LEER MAS

Cisco Systems, the multinational tech giant based in San Jose, has no Latino on its board of directors.

Ditto for Intel, the world’s largest semiconductor manufacturer, headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif.

Ditto for Tesla — which moved offices to Austin, Texas, from Palo Alto last year — and for a host of other Fortune 100 companies with millions of Latino customers, employees and suppliers. Among them: Amazon, FedEx, Albertsons, Kroger, Walgreens Boots Alliance, Exxon Mobil, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, United Parcel Service and Berkshire Hathaway.

Latinos are the nation’s largest ethnic or racial minority — accounting for 18.9% of the population — and its fastest-growing group. In California, 40% of residents trace their roots to Mexico or Central or South America.

Yet even as companies tout their commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, Latinos are far less likely to ascend to the pinnacle of business power in mostly white boardrooms than Black Americans, who account for 13.6% of the U.S. population, or Asian Americans at 6.1%.

“We remain a blind spot for corporate America,” said Esther Aguilera, chief executive of the Latino Corporate Directors Assn., an advocacy group founded in 2013. “The narrative has been, ‘We can’t find qualified Latinos.’ But there’s ample talent.”

Across a huge screen at a recent San Diego business conference, before 6,300 executives and professionals, Aguilera splashed the names of 47 of the nation’s Fortune 100 corporations with no Latino directors.

Beyond the naming and shaming, she contrasted Latinos with other people of color. A slide showed what she called “the stark reality” of S&P 500 boards: Black directors at 11%, Asian directors at 6% and Latino directors at 5% in 2022.

Companies, she said later, promote people based on “perceptions of who’s worthy … and Latinos are at the bottom of the barrel. Yet Latino talent is right under their nose.” 

The issue of who benefits from inclusion initiatives — and who doesn’t — is at the heart of affirmative action debates across the nation. California ballot initiativeshave outlawed preferences in public university admissions and government contracting. A high-profile case before the U.S. Supreme Court argues that Asian students lose out when colleges favor Black and Latino applicants.

“We don’t want anybody to be under-engaged, whether they’re African American or Asian American or Anglo American. But we do want to see Latino and Latina Americans at par,” said Solomon Trujillo, a former chief executive of telecommunications firm U.S. West who joined Western Union’s board in 2012.

“When you hear CEOs and everybody talk about ‘I believe in diversity and inclusion,’ I say show me the numbers... READ MORE

Two Senate Democrats last Tuesday filed a bill that would allow beneficiaries of humanitarian immigration programs to work in Congress.

Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) introduced the American Dream Employment Act, which would allow holders of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to work paid jobs in the Capitol.

“Our government should be as diverse as the people we represent, and that includes the Dreamers and TPS holders who are part of our communities and who are working legally in Nevada and across the country,” Cortez Masto said.

“My legislation will give them a voice in our government by allowing them to directly shape the laws that impact them and their families.”

Beneficiaries of either program are allowed to live and work in the United States, but not in Congress or in the federal government — except as unpaid interns or through contractors.

“I have met hundreds of Dreamers who are giving back to their communities as teachers, nurses, engineers, civil rights advocates, and more,” Durbin said. “Many Dreamers and TPS recipients are dedicated to public service, and it makes no sense to deprive Congress of this talent pool.”

The legislation is also supported by the Congressional Hispanic Staff Association (CHSA).

“Dreamers and TPS holders contribute to the rich fabric of our nation and their experiences and skills should not be left out of the policy making process. The Halls of Congress should mirror the diversity of our nation, and like other Americans, they deserve to have the opportunity to work in Congress,” said Brian Garcia, communications director for the CHSA... READ MORE

(RALEIGH) Attorney General Josh Stein today filed a friend-of-the-court brief pushing back against the ongoing, misguided effort led by Texas to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. North Carolina is home to approximately 24,000 DACA grantees who contribute to our economy and communities.

“Dreamers should be able to study, work, and contribute to our communities without fear of deportation – a right that the U.S. Supreme Court has reaffirmed,” said Attorney General Josh Stein. “I’ll continue to fight to protect Dreamers and their right to stay in the United States.”

DACA has allowed recipients to live, study, and work across the United States free from the fear of being forcibly separated from their families and communities. Since 2012, more than 825,000 young immigrants have been granted DACA protections after completing applications and passing a background check. Dreamers come from almost every country in the world, but many have never known any home other than the United States.

The program has enabled hundreds of thousands of grantees to enroll in colleges and universities, start businesses that strengthen our economy, serve in the military, and give back to our communities as teachers, medical professionals, engineers, and entrepreneurs. DACA recipients and their households are estimated to contribute approximately $9.5 billion in federal, state, and local taxes each year. A full rollback of DACA — as is being pushed for by Texas and its allies — is projected to result in a loss of an estimated $280 billion in national economic growth over the course of a decade.

In filing the amicus brief, Attorney General Stein joins the attorneys general of California, New York, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Washington, and Wisconsin.

A copy of the amicus brief is available here.

Effort by AG James Continues Ongoing Commitment to DACA and Dreamers, Including Historic SCOTUS Win Defending the Program.

NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James co-led a coalition of 22 attorneys general, in pushing back against the ongoing effort by Texas to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. In the amicus brief filed before the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, the coalition asserts the critical importance of DACA for states across the country and the hundreds of thousands of Dreamers and their families who depend on the program. This action is part of Attorney General James’ ongoing effort to protect DACA, including her defense of the program in the U.S. Supreme Court.

“Every American, no matter their immigration status, deserves a chance to achieve the American Dream,” said Attorney General James. “For thousands of New Yorkers who have known no other home than our welcoming state, DACA has meant they are able to stay with us and contribute to our communities. When other states try to tear down this successful program, they are trying to rip families apart and remove New Yorkers from our state, and that I will not allow. I will continue to fight for all New Yorkers, and I am proud to lead my colleague attorneys general in this must-win effort.”

DACA has allowed recipients to live, study, and work across the United States free from the fear of being forcibly separated from their families and communities. Since 2012, more than 825,000 young immigrants have been granted DACA protections after completing applications and passing a background check, including nearly 41,000 New Yorkers. Dreamers come from almost every country in the world, but many have never known any home other than the United States. The program has enabled hundreds of thousands of grantees to enroll in colleges and universities; start businesses that help improve our economy; serve in the military; and give back to our communities as teachers, medical professionals, engineers, and entrepreneurs. These contributions became even more evident during the COVID-19 pandemic as tens of thousands of DACA recipients continued to serve their communities as essential workers and frontline healthcare professionals.

DACA plays a vital role in supporting our economies at the national, state, and local level.DACA recipients and their households are estimated to contribute approximately $9.5 billion in federal, state, and local taxes each year. A full rollback of DACA — as being pushed for by Texas and its allies — is projected to result in a loss of an estimated $280 billion in national economic growth over the course of a decade. It would also lead to an estimated loss of $33.1 billion in Social Security contributions and $7.7 billion in Medicare contributions — funds that are critical to ensuring the financial health of these national programs upon which people across the country rely. In addition, the spending power of DACA recipients — estimated at $25.3 billion annually — contributes substantially to the overall economic health of the nation. DACA recipients own homes, make mortgage payments, own small businesses, and help support the creation of new jobs.

In the amicus brief, Attorney General James and her colleagues assert that DACA recipients are vital to their communities, public universities, and economies. The attorneys general also note that DACA enhances public safety and reduces the strain on social safety net programs. They raise the concern that any abrupt termination of DACA would harm recipients and their communities, and any remedy ordered by the court must account for the fact that DACA recipients, and their states and communities, have relied on the program for over a decade... READ MORE

Coalition reiterates the critical importance of DACA for states across the country and the hundreds of thousands of law-abiding individuals who depend on it.

MADISON, Wis. – Attorney General Kaul today joined a coalition of 22 attorneys general, led by California and New York, in an amicus brief pushing back against the ongoing, misguided effort led by Texas to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. In the friend-of-the-court brief filed before the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, the coalition reiterates the critical importance of DACA for states across the country and the hundreds of thousands of Dreamers and their families who depend on the program, including the more than 36,380 Wisconsinites who have directly benefitted from DACA.

“DACA has been an enormously successful program—both for Dreamers and for our communities and our economy,” said Attorney General Kaul. “Ending DACA would be a major step backwards, and efforts to end that program should be rejected.”

DACA has allowed recipients to live, study, and work across the United States free from the fear of being forcibly separated from their families and communities. Since 2012, more than 825,000 young immigrants have been granted DACA protections after completing applications and passing a background check. Dreamers come from almost every country in the world, but many have never known any home other than the United States. The program has enabled hundreds of thousands of grantees to enroll in colleges and universities; start businesses that help improve our economy; serve in the military; and give back to our communities as teachers, medical professionals, engineers, and entrepreneurs. These contributions became even more evident during the COVID-19 pandemic as tens of thousands of DACA recipients continued to serve their communities as essential workers and frontline healthcare professionals... READ MORE

Beloved Mexican actor Ignacio López Tarso, who starred as the hungry peasant Macario in the 1960 film of the same name, has died at age 98, his family reported over the weekend.

López Tarso was in approximately 50 films between 1954 and 1984, and had a long career in Mexican television, including more than 10 roles after he turned 80 — with two more in his 90s.

In 1973, he won an Ariel Award for best actor, the Mexican equivalent of an Academy Award, for his role in “Rosa Blanca”. This 1961 film was set in 1937, a year before national oil expropriation under Lázaro Cárdenas, and portrayed the story of a Mexican landowner’s battle with a U.S. oil company intent on acquiring his property. However, the film was banned in Mexico until 1972, apparently because the subject matter was contrary to the vision of then-president Adolfo López Mateos.

López Tarso received the Ariel de Oro lifetime achievement award in 2007 and was honored several times at the TVyNovelas Awards, which recognize the best television shows and telenovelas in Mexico. He also recorded a handful of albums on which he recited Mexican corridos, folk stories told in song, and had a long career in the theater.

He was one of the last surviving stars from the Golden Age of Mexican cinema, which spanned from 1930 into the 1960s. He shared the silver screen with luminaries such as María Félix, Dolores del Río and Silvia Pinal and was directed by legends such as Roberto Gavaldón and Emilio Fernández.

On its Twitter account, the Mexican Ministry of Culture lamented the death of “one of the greatest actors in Mexico... READ MORE