Linea Abierta Programming: April 7, 2025

Celebrating 30 Years of Línea Abierta

MONDAY, APRIL 7
PROGRAM #10736 12:00 PM PT

Medicaid Use by Latinos. After Congress approved a budget plan, the debate over federal Medicaid cuts continues. In times of heated rhetoric, claims that immigrants and Latinos “abuse” the federal-state safety net program are common. Are Latinos a burden for the health care system? A journalist who fact checked the assertions discusses what’s myth and what’s fact.

Guest: Paula Andalo, Ethnic Media Editor, KFF Health News Silver Spring, MD.

Training More Doctors in Latino Rural Communities. The San Joaquin Valley is known as a doctor desert, an area with the least number of doctors and nurses per capita compared to other parts of California. To address this critical shortage of doctors, a state legislator is proposing a funding plan to secure the future of medical education at the medical school operated by UC Merced, the only school of its kind in the Central Valley.

Guest: Assemblywoman Esmeralda Soria, California State Assembly (D-27 Fresno, Madera, Merced), Sacramento, CA.

Gutting Pollution and Climate Programs. The Environmental Protection Agency is being shaken by deep budget cuts and plans to roll back regulations such as environmental justice. Some worry that small towns will be left out to themselves to find protection from wildfire smoke, drought and flooding. An environmental advocate discusses how vulnerable farm working communities are bracing for these plans.

Guest: Nayamin Martinez, Executive Director, Central California Environmental Justice Network, Fresno, CA.

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TUESDAY, APRIL 8
PROGRAM #10737 11:00 AM PT

Extra Edition: Renewing the “Sí Se Puede!” Pledge. With calls for a renewed commitment to organize low-income workers in California’s Central Valley and pass the tradition of activism to newer generations, thousands of unionists and supporters gathered in Delano, birthplace of the farm workers movement, on Cesar Chávez Day. The demonstrators and labor and political leaders also rallied for support of immigrant and farm worker rights and against mass deportations. This extended report includes highlights of the rally, with voices of leaders and families.

Guests: TBA.

PROGRAM #10738 12:00 PM PT

Troops at Arizona Border. More US military troops and combat vehicles are being sent to the Southern Border to support mobile surveillance and border security agencies. How do border cities, including Tohono O’Odham communities, view this increased military presence and tightened border?

Guest: Isabel García, Co-Chair, Coalición de Derechos Humanos, Tucson, AZ.

Deportee Stuck in Violent Prison “By Mistake.” The deportation of a Maryland father to a high-security prison in El Salvador and the US government’s admission that he was deported by mistake and can’t bring him back has outraged public opinion. What’s ahead for him?

Guests: TBA.

Sanctions on Immigration Lawyers? Claiming that lawyers representing immigrants who challenge in court the federal government are engaging in “meritless claims,” Trump instructed DHS and DOJ to seek sanctions against litigating lawyers, especially those involved in asylum and immigration cases. How are immigration lawyers taking this threat? What’s the potential impact on immigrant cases?

Guests: TBA.

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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9
PROGRAM #10739 12:00 PM PT

Universities on the Crosshairs. Facing the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in government grants and contracts, Columbia University gave in to the Trump administration and agreed to a number of policy changes. Responding to similar pressures, the University of California bans the use of “diversity statements” in faculty hiring. Colleges around the nation are also bending under pressure. What’s the atmosphere in the college community? What’s the impact of this political battle on higher education?

Guest: Dr. Gaspar Rivera-Salgado, Professor of Work, Labor and Social Justice in the US, Project Director and Labor Center Director, Center for Mexican Studies, University of California Los Angeles-UCLA, Los Angeles, CA.

Executive Orders: Authority Overreach? Immigrant families report living in a state of fear and uncertainty due to the threat of mass deportations and forced separation. What’s the impact of mass deportations on U.S. citizens, children in mixed-status families? What are the effects of mass deportations on the U.S. economy and Latino communities? And with the wave of executive orders and challenges to court decisions: is the White House overreaching its authority and moving into a constitutional crisis?

Guest: Rita Fernandez, Director of Immigration Policy, UnidosUS, Washington, DC (TBC).

Are Veteran Benefits on the Chopping Block? The Trump administration is planning to cut tens of thousands of Veteran Affairs employees, sparking a wave of concern and anger among military veterans. What are the specific VA cuts plans? Will veteran benefits be dismantled? How will the cuts impact veteran’s services and well-being?

Guests: TBA.

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THURSDAY, APRIL 10
PROGRAM #10740 11:00 AM PT

Extra Edition: 30 Years, 30 Voices — David Hayes-Bautista. (Program Repeat). While California’s labor force is aging and many worry about chronic stagnation, a distinguished scholar says that Latinos, a young, hard-working and growing population, bring a bright spot for the state’s economy in the decades ahead. Influential historian David Hayes-Bautista explains his revealing findings. This special anniversary edition, also features segments of archival interviews with Hayes-Bautista, called “the prophet of Latino health,” highlighting his predictions and his body of work debunking myths about Latino health and work ethics. This program was originally aired on March 24, 2025.

Guest: David Hayes-Bautista, Director, Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture at the David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles-UCLA, Los Angeles, CA

PROGRAM #10741 12:00 PM PT

Sin Fronteras. This is a program of “Sin Fronteras,” a special series to serve audiences in Mexico City and other Mexican state capitals with breaking news and analysis about major developments impacting Latinos in the US.

Tariffs: The Week After. President Trump announced a series of sweeping tariffs and a trade war with every country. US stocks are plunging amid fears of a recession. How soon will prices of goods rise? Who will be hit the hardest?

Guest: TBA.

Oscar Arias’ Visa Revoked. Former Costa Rica President and Nobel Peace Prize winner Oscar Arias said the US government revoked his visa. While no explanation was given, he said he won’t be silenced. Arias is known as a critic of Trump’s policies.

Guest: TBA.

The Feared Salvadoran “Mega-Prison.” As the US admitted making mistakes on deportations, authorities continue sending immigrants to a Salvadoran “mega-prison” that was built as part of the crackdown against gangs. Who’s being sent there? What’s known about the incarceration conditions? What’s known about the business deal?

Guest: Leonel Herrera, ARPA, San Salvador, El Salvador (TBC).

Protecting School Campuses. In response to growing fear among immigrant families, California’s top education official introduced a state bill that will limit the presence of ICE agents on school campuses. He also advocated for the expansion of Dual Language Immersion programs across California as resources that will be key to prepare students to succeed, compete, and lead in a multilingual, global economy.

Guest: Tony Thurmond, California State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Sacramento, CA (TBC).

Challenging Trump’s Order on Voting. About 20 states sued President Trump’s attempt to reshape elections across the US, calling it an unconstitutional invasion of states’ clear authority to run their own elections. The lawsuit, the fourth against the executive order, seeks to block new requirements that people provide proof of citizenship when registering to vote and a demand that all mail ballots be received by Election Day, and others.

Guests: TBA.

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FRIDAY, APRIL 11
PROGRAM #10742 12:00 PM PT

Mexico Edition. Mexico bans junk food in schools in an effort to tackle one of the worst obesity and diabetes epidemics in the world. The health guidelines target processed, salty, and sweet products such as sugary fruit drinks, packaged potato chips, artificial pork rinds, and chili-flavored peanuts wrapped in soy. Mexico’s plan is being closely watched around the world as countries struggle with a global obesity epidemic. This and other news developments are discussed in this edition.