Linea Abierta Programming: February 17, 2025

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17

PROGRAM #10687 12:00 PM PT

State Emergency Relief. California Governor Newsom this week is preparing an executive order to harden communities from wind-propelled wildfires and urban firestorms. Also, Newsom ordered cutting more red tape to streamline permitting laws to speed up the rebuilding and recovery work for survivors of the LA area fires.

Guest: Diana Crofts-Pelayo, Deputy Director of Communications, Office of Governor Gavin Newsom, Sacramento, CA.

Mudslides Hit Fire-Ravaged Areas. Los Angeles’ fire damaged communities are being hit by mudslides as a powerful storm floods Southern California. Other local areas are on alert after being declared at high risk for debris. An eyewitness reporter brings the latest on the emergency efforts to protect those communities.

Guest: Araceli Martinez, Reporter, Los Angeles, CA.

Wildfires: The Mental Health Toll. After the Los Angeles wildfires, survivors are coping with grief, anxiety, and trauma. In response, local mental health officials are working with families to help them process the impact of loss and displacement. What can adults and children who suffer trauma do to heal? How can they build resilience? How prepared is the mental health system to help immigrant communities?

Guest: Dr. Juan Gavidia, Clinical Psychotherapist, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Los Angeles, CA.

*********************

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18

PROGRAM #10688 11:00 AM PT

Extra Edition: Restoring the Salton Sea II. The Salton Sea, once a popular recreation destination in California, has changed and is now a polluted body of water due to a decline in Colorado River water and agriculture runoff. To deal with the environmental crisis, some proposed to bring ocean water. The idea was rejected and the state came out with a ten year plan, to be completed by 2028. Meantime, as toxic dust from the sea continues polluting the air, community groups ramp up work restoring the wetlands, creating ponds for fish and birds, and filling the shoreline with native plants. Will the federals deliver the historic investment of the IRA? What are neighboring communities doing to revitalize the Salton Sea?

Guests: Alejandro Espinoza, Chief of Community Engagement, Desert Healthcare District / Desert Healthcare Foundation, Palm Desert, Palm Springs, CA; José Luis Fuente, Attorney, Member of “Rostros y Corazón”, Salton City, CA, today from Mexico City, MX; Charles “Chuck” Parker, Co-Chair, Salton Sea Coalition, Bermuda Dunes, CA; Felicitas “Féliz” Nuñez, Co-Chair, Salton Sea Coalition, Bermuda Dunes, CA.

PROGRAM #10689 12:00 PM PT

Immigration Edition. As ICE raids and deportations multiply around the country, immigrant workers and families hunker down at home in fear or seek out legal help from community groups. What’s reality and what’s misinformation? Who is being targeted during the ongoing deportation operations? Who is most at risk? What kind of help and protection can families expect to find? Community advocates and legal experts answer listener concerns.

Guests: Luz Gallegos, Executive Director, TODEC Legal Center, Perris, CA; Jesús Martínez Saldaña, Executive Director, Central Valley Immigrant Integration Collaborative-CVIIC, Fresno, CA; Rosalba Piña, Attorney, Immigration Law Expert, Chicago, IL.

*********************

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 19

PROGRAM #10690 12:00 PM PT

Rising Prices. While President Trump promised voters that he would lower prices on Day 1, inflation rose in January. Eggs prices are rising and keep climbing amid reported shortages. Trade tariffs threaten to increase gas and energy costs. What’s ahead? Why this inflation rate? What does it mean for the bottom line of the Latino family?

Guest: Unai Montes-Irueste, Media Strategy Director, People’s Action, Los Angeles, CA.

Trump’s Plan for Ukraine. After a call with Putin, Trump announced the start of peace negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. What’s Trump’s plan for Russia and Ukraine?

Guest: Abdiel Hernandez Mendoza, Research Professor, National School of Higher Education, Eurasia Studies Group, National Autonomous University of Mexico-UNAM, Mexico City, MX.

Warning against blows to health care spending. As the House of Representatives begins work this week on a federal budget bill that seeks massive cuts to Medicaid, which would lead to the closure of health clinics and nursing homes and the loss of coverage for tens of thousands of people, a broad coalition in California is organizing public forums and other activities in crucial congressional districts.

Guest: Mayra Alvarez, President, The Children’s Partnership, Los Angeles, CA.

*********************

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20

PROGRAM #10691 11:00 AM PT

Immigration Raids and Pregnant and Nursing Immigrants. Trump’s executive orders seeking mass deportations, carrying out heightened immigration operations, and stating that hospitals are no longer protected from ICE raids are already taking a toll on the health of immigrant families. Pregnant women could be particularly impacted. According to reports, they may be changing their routines, skipping doctor’s appointments, opting out of public health insurance, and keeping children home from school. California health advocates talk about what they hear on the ground and share advice.

Guests: Monica Bravo, Promoter, Visión y Compromiso, Madera, CA; Militza Garaban, Doula, Fresno, CA; Rosa, Mother, Madera, CA.

PROGRAM #10692 12:00 PM PT

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

Guests: Maritza Felix, Journalist and Founder, Conecta Arizona, Phoenix, AZ, today from Miami, FL; Chelis Lopez, Reporter, San Francisco, CA; Jose Lopez Zamorano, Reporter, Washington, DC.

ICE Raids Watch. As ICE steps up arrests in neighborhoods and workplaces, communities around the country are on high alert. Advocates and watchdogs in Southern California are patrolling streets and monitoring federal agents. In this segment, reporters collect and verify accounts on ICE raids. Where are raids taking place? What tactics are being used? Who is being arrested? What’s rumor, what’s fact?

Guests: Wendy Fry, Investigative Reporter, CalMatters, San Diego, CA; Sergio Olmos, Investigative Reporter, CalMatters, Los Angeles, CA.

IRS to Help with Deportations. DHS announced plans to deputize IRS agents to help with deportations and find businesses hiring undocumented workers. How will this effort impact US tax revenues? How will immigrant taxpayers react?

Guest: Jacqueline Laínez Flanagan, Deputy Director, Center for Taxpayer Rights, Washington, DC.

Dairy Workers Living on the Edge. In Wisconsin, Nicaraguan workers who toil the dairy farms, restaurants and factories are sending home their possessions, as they brace for mass deportations. According to reports, nobody is feeling safe. Longtime dairy workers and more recent arrivals, including asylum-seekers who have permission to live and work in the U.S. began packing up after Trump’s inauguration. A reporter who visited the area has the story.

Guest: Melissa Sanchez, Reporter, ProPublica, Chicago, IL.

Higher College Tuition Costs for Dreamers in Florida. College tuition in Florida will skyrocket (triple or quadruple) for Dreamers now that the tough state immigration law eliminates the law that allowed Dreamer students to pay in-state tuition waivers. How will it impact Dreamers? How will it impact Florida? How do those affected feel? What do their detractors say, and what do their advocates recommend?

Guest: Laura Muñoz, Civic Engagement Director, Florida Student Power, Miami, FL.

*********************

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21

PROGRAM #10693 12:00 PM PT

Mexico Edition. The US government officially designated six Mexican drug cartels as terrorist groups, an order that complies with an executive order signed by President Donald Trump during his first day in office a month ago. What is the Mexican government’s reaction? This program includes testimonials from people who lived undocumented in the U.S. and are now in Mexico, who join to discuss their concerns and advice on how to support deportees. Mexican officials are invited to talk about the educational and health support Mexico is providing to returned or repatriated families with children.

Guests: Esmeralda Flores , Co-director, Otros Dreamers en Acción-ODA, Mexico City, MX; Leni Alvarez- Perez, Co-director, Otros Dreamers en Acción-ODA, Mexico Cityo, MX; excerpts from recent statements by Mexico’s President, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, and Mexico’s Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Juan Ramón de la Fuente.