 Edición Semanaria de Noticiero Latino |
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April 2006
April 7th | Listen to the program
SENATE SHELVES IMMIGRATION REFORM BILL - The U.S. Senate goes to spring break recess leaving the immigration reform bill pending. Democrats and Republicans couldn’t reach agreement on the hot issue of the legalization of millions of immigrants and their families and voted to shelve the measure. Negotiations between leaders of both sides of the aisle failed at last minute, just when it appeared that they had reached a compromised. The debate could return to the Senate after Spring break as Patricia Guadalupe reports from the Capitol.
STUDENTS PROTEST ANTI-IMMIGRANT LEGISLATION - Inspired by the massive demonstrations in Los Angeles and Chicago, high school students from several cities make the defense of immigrants their own cause. Many of these youth opt to walkout of classes even after undergoing several criticisms and suffering the risk of missing exams or graduation. This is what our correspondent Marco Vinicio Gonzalez found after interviewing young protesters in San Diego, California.
CRIMES AGAINST WOMEN IN SOUTHERN MEXICO - Bodies of tortured women appear not only in Ciudad Juarez and the Mexican border desert. The crimes are multiplying in other central and southern states such as Veracruz, Distrito Federal and Chiapas. According to human rights organizations, generalized impunity rules entire regions. Official numbers set Oaxaca among the states with the highest rates of violence against women. This is why local human rights groups start to seek the help of international justice institutions, as our correspondent Vladimir Flores reports.
April 14th | Listen to the program
500,000 MARCH IN WASHINGTON - Even though the hallways at the nation’s capital were nearly empty due to legislators’ congressional recess, pro immigrant groups did not rest and crowded Capitol Hill. Nearly half a million chanting “today we march, tomorrow we vote,” asked legislators to step aside from political quarrels and approve fair legalization for undocumented immigrants. Patricia Guadalupe reports.
ARIZONA IMMIGRANTS MAKE HISTORY - More than 200,000 immigrants, mainly Latinos, flooded downtown Phoenix on Monday in what has become Arizona’s largest demonstration. Many employers granted the day off to their workers and some even joined the march, in a state where Republican legislators continue to promote severe anti-immigration laws. As Ruben Tapia reports, the groups’ main call was the rejection to immigrant criminalization and the demand of a legalization program.
THE OTHER CAMPAIGN - In Mexico, political parties are in the midst of presidential campaigns attracting serious media coverage. Meanwhile, as Raul Silva reports, the Zapatista caravan, also known as “The Other Campaign,” speaks to the sentiment of many Mexican nationals, as it was appreciated this week when the caravan visited the state of Morelos, home of revolutionary leader Emilano Zapata.
April 21st | Listen to the program
LATINO BOYCOTT QUESTIONED - Just days before the “National Day without Immigrants,” called for May 1st, discussion is mounting over the most effective way of pressuring legislators in Washington to approve immigration reform legislation. After a two-week recess, legislators will return to Capitol Hill on Monday, and as Patricia Guadalupe reports, some leaders wonder if the national boycott is the best way to flex the Latino community’s political muscle.
NEGOTIATED BOYCOTT - While the debate increases over calls for a national boycott on May 1st, some focus attention on the negotiated boycott held in Arizona on April 10th. Ruben Tapia shares details on how workers and employers agreed to suspend business for a day and head out to the streets and demand a fair and humane immigration reform.
AN IMMIGRANT’S DREAM - In the midst of criticism and anti-immigrant attacks, a dream comes true. For many he is an example of the will power of many who come to this country in search of a better life. Patricio Espinoza shares the story of a young farm worker boy who as an adult has managed to crossover further than anyone ever imagined and hopes to one day cross more that one border.
LAND CONSERVATION IN MEXICO - In Mexico, the federal government is in charge of an international fund worth several million dollars for land conservation in the country’s southern and central region. Under the name of COINBIO, the program aims to mitigate deforestation and environmental devastation, as Kent Paterson reports from Guerrero’s Costa Grande. Alma Martinez narrates the report.
April 28th | Listen to the program
BUSH CALLS FOR A PROMPT IMMIGRATION REFORM - The U.S. Senate returned to session this week after a two-week holiday recess, however the immigration issue is still not scheduled on the legislative calendar. As a result, President Bush started the week by casting light on the issue. The President’s call comes on the eve of planned nation-wide protests among immigrant communities. Patricia Guadalupe shares details from Washington, DC.
LEGENDARY SOCIAL CHAMPION - With strong family support, Juana Gutierrez, a Mexican immigrant from Zacatecas, organized more than 400 East Los Angeles mothers and was able to block the construction of a maximum-security prison for highly dangerous criminals. Mrs. Gutierrez later halted the installation of a toxic waste incinerator and an oil processing plant. Despite being retired, this legendary woman is known as an environmental justice champion in her community. Ruben Tapia reports from Los Angeles.
CARMENCRISTINA - Carmencristina Moreno’s musical artistry is an example of how the old Mexican tradition stemming from generations on this side of the border lives alongside the English language and is then reinvented. With her bilingual song, Carmencristina starts a broad dialogue in the U.S., a nation of diverse ethnic populations. Carmencristina was recognized with one of the top cultural arts awards in the nation. Raul Silva shares a profile of this Mexican American artist.