When weary L.A. activists need relief from Trump, this is where they go
By Esmeralda Bermudez
May 29, 2017
The Trump presidency is testing the endurance of L.A. activists fighting for immigrant rights and social justice. In workshops and webinars, longtime community organizer Victor Narro advises them to unplug, garden, hike, dance, volunteer, build altars at their cubicles and look at photos that bring them joy. They’re in it for the long haul, after all. President Trump still has nearly 200 more weeks in office. Read the story »
Trump promised a border wall. Now these Texans worry the government will take their land
By Jenny Jarvie
Apr 7, 2017
President Trump's plan to build new sections of wall along the border with Mexico have sparked deep worry among a string of ranchers, farmers and others who own property across the Rio Grande Valley. Many have received letters telling them that the government intends to seize portions of their property to build the border wall, which landowners fear will change the character of their historic communities, cut off water access, stifle commerce and disrupt the movement of wildlife. Read the story »
He wanted formerly undocumented immigrants to go public. Then Trump won
By Esmeralda Bermudez
Mar 29, 2017
The presidential election was a few days away when Miguel Luna launched an online photo project that he called “the Power of U.” U stood for undocumented, and the idea was to share the stories of the formerly undocumented, and of their parents and grandparents. Luna thought people would proudly wear a U pin and he’d collect 100 stories by the end of 2016. Then Donald J. Trump won the presidency, and everything changed. Read the story »
Like an invisibility cloak, Latina Muslims find the hijab hides their ethnicity — from Latinos
By Cindy Carcamo
Mar 24, 2017
Latina Muslims are among the fastest-growing ethnic group in Islam and at the intersection of three demographics spurned during President Trump’s nascent administration: women, Muslims and Mexicans. “It’s a heavy dance. You are never really in one place. It’s like you never feel at home in either place,” said Eren Cervantes-Altamirano, a Toronto-based writer who converted to Islam 10 years ago and writes extensively on the challenges experienced by women who become Muslim. Read the story »
They’re so scared.' Trump brings heartache, fear in L.A.'s 'Ellis Island'
By Ruben Vives
Mar 24, 2017
Boyle Heights for generations was an Ellis Island for immigrants entering America — both legally and illegally. They were Jewish, Japanese, Russian, Italian, Armenian. Eventually, most who came were from Mexico. Now, the talk of Trump is everywhere in the neighborhood. It’s mostly critical. And it’s tinged with anxiety and uncertainty. Read the story »
Immigrant advocates spread the word: Be prepared, be self-reliant, know your rights
By Esmeralda Bermudez
Mar 23, 2017
Ever since President Trump was elected, people have been asking Pablo Alvarado: “If I get detained, you will protect me, right? You will help me so I don’t get deported?” The longtime immigrant-rights organizer increasingly answers, point-blank: Don’t count on it. Get ready to fend for yourself. “People have to act, he said. “They have to take the bull by the horns.” Read the story »