Border Agents Identified in 2010 Mexican Immigrant Death

Note: This video may Not Be Safe for Work.

A U.S. federal court revealed the names of a dozen border agents involved in the death of Mexican migrant over three years ago.

The judge’s order to lift the protective order was issued as part of a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of Anastasio Hernández Rojas.

In May 2010, the 42-year-old was in the process of being deported via the San Ysidro-Tijuana border post when he was beaten by agents with batons and was fired upon with Taser electronic guns.  Hernández subsequently suffered a heart attack and loss of oxygen to the brain, which led to his death five days after the incident.

Two Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, six Border Patrol agents, and four Customs and Border Protection officers were identified as being involved in the altercation with Hernández.   An attorney for one of the men named in the lawsuit, Customs and Border Protection officer Jerry Vales, said that his client reacted after Hernández resisted detention.

"Hernandez's violence escalated after the initial five-second tase, as he kicked at officers as many as a dozen times and landed kicks to Officer (Vales') upper body," according to a motion filed in the lawsuit.

Yet an eyewitness who videotaped the altercation with a cell phone and said that Hernández was cooperating with officers despite being assaulted upon.  (Portions of that recording can be viewed in the YouTube video at the top of this post).

Other points of contention include whether Hernández tried to escape from custody and if the traces of meth coroners found in his body may have contributed to his death.

For one of the lawyers involved in the civil case, the judge’s actions are an important step forward in the case:

Daily Headlines: April 25, 2013

* Argentina: Pope Francis told that the president of the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo that he's "at the disposal" of the group that helps find hundreds of Argentines missing during the "Dirty War" period.

* Uruguay: Troubled striker Luis Suarez has been banned for ten games by English soccer officials after biting a rival player on the arm.

* Mexico: No, U.S. legislator Louie Gohmert, Al Qaeda has not established "terrorist camps" in Mexico.

* U.S.: The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit alleging that some 20,000 students in California who need to learn English are receiving inadequate language instruction.

Video Source - YouTube via romereports.com

Online Sources - Huffington Post; SI.com; GlobalPost; PolitiFact.com

Daily Headlines: January 2, 2013

* Peru: Over thirty people died in Peru in 2012 as a result of a dengue outbreak that infected approximately 21,000 people last year.

* U.S.: Is the naming of a new California school after bandido Tiburcio Vasquez a fair recognition of a historic Latino or the unnecessary glorification of a criminal?

* Colombia: While peace talks between the Colombian government and FARC rebels are on hold at least thirteen guerillas died in a military assault.

* Haiti: The U.S. State Department upgraded its travel warning to Haiti including advising visitors “medical facilities are particularly weak.”

Video Source – YouTube via Al Jazeera English 

Online Sources- Huffington Post, The Global Dispatch, LAHT, CBS Miami

Daily Headlines: July 25, 2012

* Venezuela: President Hugo Chávez announced last night that Venezuela would withdraw from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights after losing a case at the tribunal last week.

* U.S.: Latino leaders in California have called for a federal investigation into the police shooting and death of an Anaheim resident that has triggered several days of rioting.

* Latin America: A report found that the richest people in thirty-three Latin American and Caribbean nations hid over $2 trillion in assets in offshore tax havens between 1970 and 2010.

* Cuba: A U.S. citizen accused of traveling to Cuba as an “unauthorized tourist” in 1998 agreed to pay a $6500 fine.

Video Source – YouTube via teleSUR English

Online Sources- El Universal, NPR, Business Recorder, MSNBC

Daily Headlines: November 17, 2011

* Brazil: Ex-President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva shaved his hair and trademark beard ahead of his next round of treatments to combat throat cancer.

* U.S.: Police in California seized an estimated fourteen tons of marijuana in a cross-border tunnel allegedly used by Mexican drug smugglers.

* Panama: Former strongman Manuel Noriega is one step closer to being extradited to his homeland where he awaits trial.

* Mexico: A statement from the Committee to Protect Journalists expressed “deep concern” over the whereabouts of two Mexican journalists who have gone missing since Monday.

Video Source – YouTube user band

Online Sources- BBC News, MSNBC, Monsters and Critics, Committee to Protect Journalists

Daily Headlines: September 2, 2011

* Brazil: Brookfield Asset Management or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Mall.

* Guatemala: Local health authorities claimed that as many as 2500 people may’ve been infected with sexually transmitted diseases during a series of medical experiments conducted in the 1940s by U.S. researchers.

* U.S.: As part of a court settlement the Environmental Protection Agency admitted that there was discrimination against Latino schoolchildren who were exposed to toxic pesticides in California.

* Peru: The government is expected soon present a plan that would raise mining royalties in order to pay for new social programs backed by President Ollanta Humala.

Image – LAHT (Outdoor facade of the Sambil shopping mall in Caracas, Venezuela. Foreign firms like Brookfield Asset Management and the Westfield Group are behind a boom in the construction and development of shopping malls in Brazil.)

Online Sources- The Globe and Mail, Fox News Latino, Reuters, BBC News, The Latin Americanist

Daily Headlines: August 15, 2011

* Brazil: Gunmen assassinated Patricia Lourival Acioli, a local judge best known for pursuing violent gangs and corrupt cops.

* Argentina: Exit polls indicated that President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner easily won yesterday’s primary election; thus, indicating that she could win outright in October’s presidential election.

* Venezuela: President Hugo Chavez returned from Cuba on Saturday after undergoing second round of radiation treatment and chemotherapy.

* U.S.: According to the California attorney general’s office the number of official hate crimes against Latinos in that state jumped by nearly 50% last year in comparison to 2009.

Image – AP via BBC News (“Patricia Acioli was buried on Friday in her home town of Niceroi.”)
Online Sources- Reuters, BBC News, latimes.com, MSNBC

Daily Headlines: May 31, 2011

* Colombia: China has made major inroads seeking raw materials in Latin America but that hasn’t stopped Colombian coffee growers looking to make their mark in the Chinese market.

* Costa Rica: The British government issued a travel warning cautioning tourists who plan to visit Costa Rica.

* Venezuela: Government supporters took to the streets of Caracas to protest U.S. sanctions against state-run oil firm PDVSA due to deals made with Iran.

* Mexico: According to a Hearst Newspapers analysis California’s gun control laws have helped prevent the mass smuggling of arms from that state across the border to Mexico.

Image – Reuters/Eduardo Munoz via Reuters (“A worker writes down the production of coffee at a coffee farm knows as Don Jimenez Estate in San Jose de las Matas May 21, 2011.)
Online Sources- SFGate.com, BusinessWeek, UPI, Bloomberg

Today’s Video: The mami and papi diner

Today is Memorial Day, a date in the U.S. that commemorates service members who died during military combat. Today's video doesn't focus on Latinos in the military, but instead we want to feature the following report from KBPS set in Oceanside, California. (The city is located just south of the Marine Corps Camp Pendleton).

Grandma's Diner traditionally caters to a varied clientele including military veterans and elderly residents. But the restaurant represents the changing demographics in the U.S.; a population that has gotten increasingly younger and more ethnically diverse. The diner, which was first owned by a "Caucasian couple", was sold to Mexican-born Faustino Hernandez who originally started as a cook at Grandma's. Hence, the clientele has grown to include Latino families and the diner's menu includes "Italian pasta, huevos rancheros and chicken fried steak and grits".

From KBPS here is the story of Grandma's Diner:

Online Source - Time
Video Source - KBPS via YouTube

Daily Headlines: February 17, 2010

* Latin America: Guinea pigs have been an Andean delicacy for centuries but could they also help end food shortages in the war-torn Congo?

* U.S.: A federal lawsuit seeking the return of affirmative action in Californian public university admissions is expected to be filed soon.

* Colombia: If you believe that Colombia’s FARC guerillas are going away anytime soon then you should think again.

* Mexico: The swine flu hysteria and the weakened economy have been blamed for causing a 15% dip in Mexican tourism last year.

Image – Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Online Sources- Guardian UK, The Latin Americanist, MSNBC, UPI, Los Angeles Times

Daily Headlines: February 4, 2010

* Latin America: Are proposals such as calling in the National Guard to Puerto Rico and regulating social networks in Mexico effective tools to combat crime or cheap political ploys?

* U.S.: Latino groups in Costa Mesa, California and city officials are butting heads over an ordinance banning day workers from soliciting work on the street.

* Brazil: Author Paulo Coelho has a message for ex-British P.M. Tony Blair – stay away from the 2016 Rio Olympics.

* Paraguay: The third and final paternity lawsuit against priest-turned-president Fernando Lugo was dropped due to “personal reasons.”

Image – Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Online Sources- Mashable, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, BusinessWeek, BBC News

Weekend Headlines: January 30-31, 2010

* Argentina: The dispute between central bank chief Martin Redrado and President Cristina Kirchner came to a climax yesterday after Redrado quit his post.

* U.K.: A family originally from Bolivia was awarded over $159,000 from the British government after being falsely placed in a detention center for 42 days.

* U.S.: A study published yesterday found that Latino immigrants in California’s in San Diego County have the highest level of self-employment.

* Latin America: The 2010 Copa Libertadores began this week with first round home victories for Deportivo Tachira (Venezuela), Colon (Argentina), and Juan Aurich (Peru).

Image – AFP (Argentine central bank chief Martin Redrado resigned amidst his battle with President Cristina Kirchner over how to pay the government’s debt)
Online Sources- Bloomberg, Channel 4 News, signonsandiego.com, Goal.com

Daily Headlines: January 27, 2010

* U.S.: On the eve of tonight’s State of the Union speech, several hundred protestors at an immigrants rights rally called for President Barack Obama to take a more active role towards much-needed immigration reform.

* Chile: Investigators identified the remains of eleven people beloved to have been at the side of President Salvador Allende when he was ousted in a September 1973 military coup.

* Mexico: Californian officials shot down Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s “off-the-cuff remark” on sending inmates to Mexico to serve time.

* Argentina: Diego Maradona returned from his two-month suspension to coach Argentina to a 3-2 win over Costa Rica in a friendly.

Online Sources- YouTube, Washington Post, San Jose Mercury News, Goal.com

World Watch: This land is whose land?

* Israel: The government of Israel defied calls by the White House to not expand the construction of new settlements in the West Bank.

* Europe: A series of German AIDS awareness ads featuring depictions of Hitler and Stalin have raised the ire of European AIDS groups.

* Africa: Several African countries have called for the removal of international sanctions against Zimbabwe and its controversial President Robert Mugabe.

* U.S.: How bad is the budget crisis in California? Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger eliminated state funding for a program that paid for six domestic violence shelters.

Image- MSNBC
Online Sources- Al Jazeera English, MSNBC, BBC News, Guardian UK

Prop 187 redux planned for California

Call it the return of Prop 187.

California’ economy has hit rock bottom with the state government has resorted to giving IOUs to thousands of creditors while politicos continue to negotiate over how to close a whopping $26 billion budget deficit. It is this environment of economic uncertainty that anti-immigrant factions are hoping to take advantage of.

An organization called Taxpayer Revolution (TR) has sponsored a ballot imitative that would halt public benefits for illegal immigrants and even aims at their U.S.-born children. "Are we going to continue asking taxpayers to pay for these services when the state is completely out of money?" asked Ted Hilton- a local political activist who recently introduced the initiative. TR and its backers face the uphill task of raising millions of dollars to promote the initiative and collect 488,000 signatures to place it on a June 2010 ballot.

TR claims to have received the backing of several anti-immigrant groups like NumbersUSA and the California Coalition for Immigration Reform as well as politicos like Republican Rep. Dana Rohrabacher. It’s no coincidence that supporters of the plan also include activists that backed 1994’s controversial Proposition 187. The new plan is a slightly streamlined version of Prop 187 which (assuming it gets on the ballot in the first place) has been designed to be more difficult to challenge in court:

Backers say...that they have carefully crafted the measure to avoid the legal pitfalls that doomed Proposition 187, which would have barred illegal immigrants from receiving any public social services, education and nonemergency medical care. Voters approved it, 59% to 41%, but a federal judge ruled that the measure unconstitutionally usurped federal jurisdiction over immigration.

This time, backers worked with attorneys who have helped craft successful efforts to curtail benefits in other states...

The initiative would require all applicants for public benefits to verify their legal status. And unlike Proposition 187, it would not attempt to curtail access to education…

The measure's most controversial provisions would take aim at the U.S.-born children of illegal immigrants. It would end state welfare to an estimated 48,000 households and 100,000 children, aid that now costs the state $640 million a year.

Image- The Daily Californian Online (“Protesting students march down Bancroft Way in a rally against Proposition 187, which sought to crack down on illegal immigration.”)
Online Sources- Los Angeles Times, examiner.com, Reuters, Bloomberg, Wikipedia

Daily Headlines: June 23, 2009

* Mexico: Police have arrested seven local officials and charged them with negligent homicide in the deadly day care fire that killed 47 children.

* U.S.: Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa decided that he will not run for California governor in 2010.

* Latin America: Is President Barack Obama’s apparent change of heart over free trade pacts with Panama and Colombia a sensible move or an ugly flip-flop?

* Chile: Chilean U.N. ambassador Heraldo Muñoz will head a commission to examine the 2007 assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

Image- BBC News
Online Sources- UPI, Christian Science Monitor, Bloomberg, MSNBC

Reprieve granted to three deported minors

In a rare moment of clarity, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reversed its decision to deport three teens on their way to school.

The three minors between the ages of 15 and 17 were nabbed last month in San Diego while waiting at a trolley stop. The minors were not engaging in any crime at the time of arrest and their parents were living in the U.S. Yet immigration officials claimed that they couldn’t find the teens’ legal guardians and thus sent them to Mexico.

After uproar by the community and immigrants rights activists, DHS granted the kids a “humanitarian parole” and allowed them to return to the U.S. Though proper procedure was not followed by immigration officials, DHS claimed that “authorities took into account the totality of the circumstances and what was in the best interest of the minors and their families.” The three former deportees will be granted the chance to appear in front of a judge to argue their case and could be sent to Mexico again.

The above case demonstrates one of the main fallacies if the current immigration policy: the agenizing splitting of families. Yesterday, the nonprofit American Fraternity reiterated its plans to sue President Barack Obama to halt the deportations of the parents of 150 children until immigration reform is passed. Until Obama and the rest of the politicos get their collective heads out of the sand, however, heart wrenching tales like that of Ronald Soza will continue:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Online Sources- MSNBC, AP, Los Angeles Times, San Diego Union-Tribune

Notable Quotable: Heaven on Earth

"It truly frustrates me to hear those who attack us constantly talking about God, and what the bible does or doesn't allow…We are not asking anything from God. We are asking for our legal rights here on the earth. He'll decide up there what we do or don't get."

--- Alfonso Guerrero- half of the first gay Latino couple to legally marry in California last June- provides a sensible explanation on the needlessly contentious issue of gay marriage.

On Tuesday, California’s top court voted 6-1 to uphold a ban on gay marriage (via Prop 8) but recognized the legality of those unions that took place before the measure was approved last year in a statewide referendum. As this report shows, the court’s Solomon-like solution seemingly pleased nobody:

The debate of gay marriage has also manifested itself in the state of New York where Latinos participated in competing pro-gay marriage and anti-gay marriage rallies two weeks ago. Expect Latinos to be increasingly targeted as both sides campaign for their respective causes; one group against gay marriage has prominently featured photos of happy-looking Latino families in the web ads.

Online Sources- Blabbeando, Reuters, Indecision Forever, OC Weekly

Daily Headlines: October 23, 2008

* U.S.: Opening statements began yesterday in the retrial of a Border Patrol agent who shot and killed a Mexican migrant.

* U.S.: Authorities including immigration officers conducted several raids in California targeting alleged members of the MS-13 gang.

* Puerto Rico: Officials have allowed thousands of visually impaired voters to vote by telephone for next month’s local elections.

* Costa Rica: Investigators are checking if President Oscar Arias abused his authority in granting permission for the Crucitas gold mine project.

Image- Boise Guardian
Sources- IHT, AFP, KCBS, Guardian UK

Eduardo Verástegui campaigns against gay marriage

Remember when actor Eduardo Verástegui publicized his own video railing against abortion? The Mexican born-again catholic recently taped an ad in favor of a Californian ballot initiative that would obligate parental notification if a minor seeks an abortion.

Besides campaign against reproductive rights Verástegui has taken up the cause against gays. He has given his public support to California's Proposition 8, a proposal that would bar gay marriage statewide.

Despite heavy campaigning for and against the proposition, recent polls show that Californians are nearly divided in half.

Verástegui may have renounced his beefcake image after his religious conversion but does that make his stance on Prop 8 and birth control hypocritical? One blogger explains:

So here is the question: If this dude clearly had no problem exploiting his body and sexuality for his professional advancement, where does he get off telling women what to do with their bodies and reproductive rights? I've always tended to be sympathetic to the right's view that most celebrities --especially those with out artistic virtue-- should keep their mouths fastened shut when it comes to politics (paging Susan Sarandon), and this guy could use a whole lot of duct tape.

Verástegui has his right to speak out on the issues even if one disagrees with them (like I do). But perhaps it may be wise for him to remember the old adage: "zapatero a su zapato" ("shoemaker stick to your shoes") and focus on his acting.

(Hat tip: Guanabee).

Image- lifenews.com (Screenshot from Eduardo Verástegui’s pro-life video)
Sources- The Latin Americanist, People en Español, California Voter Guide, Hispanic Business, U.S. News and World Report, Miami New Times, Guanabee