Linea Abierta Programming: March 31, 2025

Celebrating 30 Years of Línea Abierta

MONDAY, MARCH 31
PROGRAM #10729 12:00 PM PT

Cesar Chavez Day: Unionists Flock to Delano. On Cesar Chávez Day, thousands of farm workers, union members and supporters from industries from around California descend on Delano, the birthplace of the UFW and the area of recent immigration raids. They protest against ICE, fight the climate of fear, and support besieged immigrant workers. The theme, “Con estas manos/With these hands,” honors the labor of immigrant workers and evoques Chavez’ historic march to Sacramento. Top labor leaders discuss the current state of unionism and immigrant labor in California.

Guests: David Huerta, President, Service Employees International Union-United Service Workers West (SEIU-USWW); Teresa Romero, President, UFW, Bakersfield, CA; Yadira Sanchez, Executive Director, Poder Latinx, Seattle, WA

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TUESDAY, APRIL 1
PROGRAM #10730 11:00 AM PT

Extra Edition: Preparing for a Wildfire. New fire maps in California have designated over 2 million acres as facing high fire danger, particularly in the Central Valley and Central Coast regions. Do you live in a high-risk area? Faced with the increased risk of fires, what can homeowners do to protect themselves? How to build back better? Wildfire experts share tips on how to stay ready for future wildfires and create a plan to respond and evacuate.

Guests: Ricardo Alterno, Spanish Spokesperson, American Red Cross, Los Angeles, CA; others TBA.

PROGRAM #10731 12:00 PM PT

Immigration Edition. National Day of Action. A coalition of progressive groups is planning nationwide protests on Saturday, April 5, with thousands expected to descend on Washington, DC. The rallies, called “Hands Off!,” are to protest Trump, Musk and Congress massive cuts to the federal budget. This is a roundup of reports on the upcoming actions.

Guests: Rosalba Piña, Immigration Attorney, Línea Abierta Commentator, Chicago, IL (TBC); others TBA.

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.

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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2
PROGRAM #10732 12:00 PM PT

Tariff Deadline. Today, the White House is expected to unveil a plan for high tariffs. These will be Trump’s most aggressive tariff actions to date, amid fears of price hikes and global trade wars. On this day, imports from Canada and Mexico will face 25% tariffs after a pause. Experts also comment on the impact of tariff costs on the prices of imported goods and overall inflation.

Guests: Dr. Monica Garcia-Perez, Distinguished Professor of Economics, Broadwell College of Business and Economics, Fayetteville State University-UNCFSU, Fayetteville, NC; Dr. Raul Hinojosa-Ojeda, Associate Professor, Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies, University of California Los Angeles-UCLA; Executive Director, North American Integration and Development Center, and CEO, SF Global, Los Angeles, CA.

Universities in 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, UCLA Labor Center Director, UCLA Center for Mexican Studies, Los Angeles, CA.

Trump Orders to Overhaul Voting System. President Trump signed a drastic executive order to overhaul US elections. The order sets new identification requirements for voter registration to ensure noncitizens don’t vote, including proof of citizenship and prohibiting the counting of absentee or mail-in ballots received after Election Day. Voting rights groups have warned that the new requirements could disenfranchise people and are gearing up to challenge them in court.

Guests: TBA.

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THURSDAY, APRIL 3
PROGRAM #10733 11:00 AM PT

Extra Edition: New Tool to Save Lives of Pregnant Women. (Program Repeat). The number of Latina moms who die during pregnancy or after the baby is born has escalated to alarming levels in California in recent years. In order to help women to have healthy pregnancies, state health officials are making widely available a new, simple tool that helps women screen their health and find out about their health risks even before getting pregnant. This program was originally aired on March 27, 2025.

Guests: Dr. Diana Ramos, California Surgeon General, Sacramento, CA; Rosie Buclatin, a mother who overcame a difficult pregnancy, Los Angeles, CA; Adela Corona, Community Relations Representative, Promotores Health Network, Community Engagement Coordinator, CalViva Health, Fresno, CA.

PROGRAM #10734 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 Costs. President Trump said he will go ahead with the “reciprocal” tariffs announced for this week, but excluding several sectors. An expert comments on the impact of tariff costs on the prices of imported goods, how they will affect Latino-owned businesses, and the industries that will be among the hardest hit.

Guest: Joshua Contreras, Global Manager, Digital Communities and Campaigns, Wise, Washington, DC (TBC).

Mexican Emigres Regrouping. Leaders of Mexican emigre communities in the US are coming together in a united front to respond to the “hostile narrative against migrants in the US” and plan to seek a meeting with Mexican President Sheinbaum to discuss concerns and plans for Mexicans who end up repatriated as part of the current mass deportation campaign in the US.

Guest: Paco Moreno, Executive Director, Council of Mexican Federations in North America-COFEM, Co-coordinator of Political Affairs, Collective of Mexican Migrant Federations and Organizations in the US-COLEFOM, Los Angeles, CA (TBC).

Bracing for 2025. With the barrage of policy changes via executive orders, draconian restrictions on immigrants, and the siege of universities, lawyers, and media outlets, where is the Trump administration headed? And what is the state of the resistance mounted by the opposition?

Guest: Dr. Miguel Tinker Salas, Professor Emeritus of History, Pomona College, Los Angeles, CA (TBC).

Troops at the Border. Hundreds of U.S. troops stationed at the southern border will now conduct patrolling and surveillance alongside federal border agents after the Pentagon gave them the green light. The decision marks a departure from prior mission guidelines, shifting away from stationary observation roles.

Guests: TBA.

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FRIDAY, APRIL 4
PROGRAM #10735 12:00 PM PT

Mexico Edition. Donald Trump announced tariffs on car imports and on imports from countries that deal with Venezuela and more are expected this week. How will this affect Mexico? What industries would be most impacted? Mexico’s President Sheinbaum expressed confidence that Mexico could have the benefit of a “special situation” due to the USMCA free trade agreement. In another news story, Mexico launched “TV Migrante,” a public television channel with content created by migrants themselves. The open channel, created “to dignify Mexicans who decided to emigrate,” will be available in 25 cities. This and other news developments are discussed in this weekly edition.