Opinion

“As I watched TV coverage of the wildfires incinerating Maui… a single thought raged in my head: Colonialism is a brutal, never-ending story… The footage triggered memories of Hurricane María, which devastated Puerto Rico in 2017 and transformed the archipelago into a rich man’s paradise—and a no man’s land for many Puerto Ricans.”

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has consistently adopted an aggressive and punitive stance against immigrants throughout his political career, including the use of harmful rhetoric and enacting bigoted legislation to the detriment of Florida’s economic well-being.

With a generational shift against the status quo, a growing reluctance among Puerto Ricans to see their islands become part of an increasingly authoritarian nation, and now a battle between its two leading figures —Gov. Pedro Pierluisi and Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González-Colón, a Trump supporter— the ruling pro-statehood New Progressive Party’s days seem numbered.

At least six migrants have died in the Rio Grande River in the last month. Four were found died, including a toddler, over the Fourth of July weekend—the same weekend a Texas State Trooper leaked information to the Houston Chronicle detailing the state’s policies that included pushing migrants into the river.

During a recent summit in Brussels, a coalition of all but one member country of the European Union and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States adopted a host of measures that included another call for the United States to lift its sanctions on Cuba.

Latino Rebels speaks with Fanny Véliz Grande, founder and CEO of Avenida Productions and actor Aimee Carrero (‘Elena of Avalor,’ ‘The Menu’) —both SAG members for over 10 years— about the need to open Hollywood to Latino talent.

In the face of unconstitutional immigration laws enacted in Texas, Florida, and Kansas, Congress and the Biden administration must take action now.

A group of civil rights organizations has filed a lawsuit against the DeSantis administration in Florida on behalf of the state’s farmworkers, among other affected parties, in hopes of reversing a recently implemented anti-immigrant law.

Chanel Rustad, a four-year-old Alaska Native child, is currently in the custody of a racist white couple, Nikki Richman and Joseph Jurco, after her father murdered her mother in January 2020. Chanel’s maternal grandmother is fighting for custody.

At a campaign stop in Eagle Pass, Texas on Monday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he plans to bring his state’s harsh anti-immigrant policies to the federal government if he becomes president.

As we respond to the next political stunt involving migrants, let’s commit to protecting the institutions and liberties we often take for granted.

Aaron Martinez was murdered by a neighbor who didn’t want Latinos in his neighborhood.

LALIFF has something other festivals can’t buy: an organic and honest commitment to our historically marginalized and underresourced community.

As loud as we rightfully get when Hollywood execs cancel a Latino show, we should be just as vocal when our shows get renewed. So let’s take a moment to celebrate the fact that several Latino shows are getting new seasons!

This is the story of two Puerto Ricos—a phantasmagorical island cooked up by Pierluisi and the one Boricuas endure daily.

A protest started by Latino truck drivers against Florida’s anti-immigrant law has now grown to include a diversity of drivers across the country.

The only practical way for Puerto Rico to decolonize, democratize, and safeguard its economic future and maintain its national identity is through national sovereignty—and trends indicate that support for sovereignty is growing.

While the Biden administration says its focus is to counter misinformation, the policy changes announced just hours prior to the end of Title 42 are likely to sow further confusion at the southern border.

Many people online have questioned how a Latino can have such intense racist and discriminatory beliefs, but the idea that Latinos cannot hold racist beliefs ignores facets of Latino culture that can lead some to become entrenched in far-right ideologies. 

During a recent “sermon,” the head pastor of an evangelical church in Puerto Rico denounced people of color as racist, slammed the LGBT community, and complained that the Black actress starring in Disney’s remake of ‘The Little Mermaid’ was ugly.

In a joint press conference last week, the Department of State and Department of Homeland Security announced new measures at the U.S.-Mexico border in preparation for the end of Title 42.