Axel W. Caballero

The Amazing, Incredible Video Diary of Stephanie Pucheta

2013-05-20T11:43:52-04:00

In January 2013, the staff at Cuéntame received a phone call from 10-year-old Stephanie Pucheta and her mom María Ortiz. Their request seemed simple and straightforward at the time: Would Cuéntame help in bringing back Stephanie's dad, Julio Cesar Pucheta, from deportation?

María and Stephanie were desperate; they had tried many avenues and contacted different immigration lawyers to no avail. Virtually broke and seemingly with nowhere else to turn to, they made the call after seeing one of our documentary campaign videos on immigration cases. Stephanie's father had been in detention for over a year after a traffic violation and his removal proceeding was eminent. The Pucheta family story seemed all too common -- reflecting precisely the horrors of our broken immigration system: A family on the verge of separation -- with no resources, no legal remedies and no access to effective representations.

As with the many stories we receive, we immediately attempted to contact volunteer and human rights' groups in the state of Georgia -- where the family was located -- in a last minute effort to help with their case. It was too late; Stephanie's dad had already been deported. It didn't come as a surprise, it happens all too often. We contacted Stephanie and María again who by then had enlisted the help of a pro bono lawyer, and asked if they wanted to tell their story. We explained to them that Cuéntame's (which translates to 'count me OR tell me your story') mission was precisely that to tell stories that like theirs so often go unnoticed. Our hope was to create a small interest in the case, knowing that the system is so overwhelmed that they are viewed as another number and another file.

Stephanie was particularly keen in telling us her experience and her perspective. In an effort to capture her thoughts as pure and as best as possible, we decided to send Stephanie a personal camera and asked her to tell us her account of the events. Over a period of two weeks, Stephanie diligently clicked on the camera every morning and recorded a few minutes every day -- a personal video diary of sorts.

Once she was done, she mailed the camera back to us so that we could see, hear and spread the message she had sent. We didn't know what to expect. We had heard it all and seen it all. Yet, as soon as we turned on her first nine minute clip, we knew this was different:

After watching the clip, we felt urgency, anger and shed tears. How can all of this happen? How can a Stephanie and thousands of children like her have to go through this? Couldn't we do something about it? Wasn't there an immigration reform bill being discussed to address these same issues? Stephanie's story is emblematic of the over 25,000 immigrants who apply for family unity waivers each year only to be torn apart by an immigration system that emphasizes blind enforcement policies over sensible and human rights' solutions.

As we move into a very serious, prominent and real immigration debate, we see that our legislators once again have put the security industrial complex ahead of individual and human rights. Billions of dollars are being poured into the militarization of our borders, the fueling of private immigrant detention facilities and the continuation of raids and arbitrary deportations that have all but shredded basic and human rights. It is often futile to talk in these terms as the issue of immigration has been so criminalized, and tarnished with hate rhetoric by anti-immigrant groups that the mere discussion of human rights seems like an abomination in it of itself. Our families are facing a humanitarian crisis but our legislators have decided to prioritize talking about how to double up on these efforts?

We hope that our public officials listen to Stephanie and the thousands of migrant children looking for a solution. How about an immigration policy that enforces immigrant rights and deports hate?

'The Immigrants Are Coming, The Immigrants Are Coming!' -- Nativism Driving Immigration Reform Debate?

2013-02-25T12:39:09-05:00

Agreed, the window of opportunity is wide open for the passage of substantial immigration reform. Immigration reform is, after all, the next big ticket item. It's the coveted prize that allegedly holds the key to millions of Latinos nationwide who will soon fall in line with whatever the powers that be decide to pass as "immigration reform". No matter what it is, just slap the word "reform" to it and you will keep the community happy. After all, would anyone in their right mind want to anger the same community that just proved to be a deciding factor in the last election? No, of course not. So then call it "reform", enlist the help of Latino-sounding names and sell, sell, sell as much as you can -- no matter what it includes. The details don't matter. Slap the word "reform" and everyone will fall in place.

Who cares about the details? If you call it "reform" then "reform" it will be. After all, the main goal is not really to reform the system and strengthen the rights of 11 million people. Of course not, that would mean going against the nativist, anti-immigrant, supremacist powers who have done such an incredible job of convincing people that they should be very, very afraid of immigrants. Nope, all you need to do is to call it "reform", lock the Latino vote, and blame the other guy for any mistakes or exclusions along the way.

Immigrant rights? That's the least of your worries. This is really not about immigrants; this is really about politicians. Who will be at the winning end of "reform"? Who will look good? Who will win the golden ticket while not really changing much? Immigrant rights? Ha, that's not what immigration reform is about. It's not like you really want to put an end to raiding immigrants' homes, separating families, locking-up their children, shooting them at border, monitoring them with drones, persecuting, alienating, discriminating, kicking out their youth, and creating a whole infrastructure of second-class humans to abuse, exploit, profit off of or discard whenever and however it's needed? Of course not. That's not how this is done.

First you have to ease the fears. Yes, the fears that have been ingrained so deep in our social fabric by groups whose whole purpose is to instill a phobia of the different and the unknown. Groups that use the word "immigration" in their names to legitimize their hard anti-immigrant beliefs -- all the while brewing anxiety with a powerful nativist and well-funded hate agenda (ahem Center for Immigration Studies, Federations of Americans For Immigration Reform, Californians Coalition for Immigration reform.) They have done such an incredible job of driving the immigration narrative that they have pocketed several fringe and not-so-fringe politicians to carry their hatred to the halls of Congress. If you listen closely, you'll hear the same exact words that come out of their fake studies, spokespeople, and talking points, in the speeches of public officials at the highest level, local legislators and in the actual text of legislative bills and proposals. Words such as "Enforce", "Secure", "Verify", "Punish", "Terrorize", "Steal", "Invade." -- Be scared, be very scared. The immigrants are coming to get you!

Exhibit A: California For Population Stabilization (Rest of the series at If You Don't They Will)

These groups have done their job. They have spoken. Forget the reasons and root causes of what brings folks to this country in the first place. Forget how we have incentivized their migration. Forget that immigration is indeed how this country was built. Forget that immigration is as patriotic as the flag and the Statue of Liberty. This time it's different.These are not the type of immigrants you want. They don't really look like you, do they? They are different. This time you should be very, very afraid.

Exhibit B: California Coalition for Immigration Reform (Rest of the series at If You Don't They Will)

After all, immigration reform is not about immigrant rights is it? It's about fear. Disagree? Well too bad because this has already been put into place. There is already widespread support for this approach. It has been sold well enough. Co-opted, stamped and Latino approved -- or so they say. Fear first, rights later. Abuse first, rights later. Security (or secure borders?) first, rights later. Deport first, rights later. Exploit first, rights later. It's all in motion, compromised, fired up and ready to go. All you need is to fall in line. Don't worry, they will make sure to appear to fight for some -- they will throw a bone and talk about a pathway for the most deserving and the most skilled,not the ones who need it the most. They are not deserving of any "reform." It's all calculated. You don't have to do anything. The anti-immigrant bunch will have done it all for you. There will be a bill soon and they will speak up to make sure absurd fear trumps human rights. So don't worry -- If You Don't Speak Up, They Will Speak For You.

Armas de Estados Unidos siembran la destrucción tanto aquí como en el extranjero

2012-08-02T17:25:10-04:00

Por Axel Caballero y Kristel Muciño*

La tragedia en Colorado ha demostrado el poder devastador de los rifles tipo AR-15, tal como el que fue usado en la balacera en Aurora, y ha llevado a muchos a preguntarse si tiene sentido permitir la compra de armas de asalto tipo militar. Lo que muchas personas no saben es que este estilo de rifle también es el tipo de arma favorita de los despiadados carteles mexicanos. En los últimos 6 años, más de 60,000 personas han perdido la vida en la ola de violencia que azota a México.

El fracaso de Estados Unidos de regular de una manera significativa el mercado de armas no sólo afecta a este país: también está alimentando la violencia en México. Entre las víctimas hay un sinfín de personas inocentes, periodistas y niños. La cruda realidad es esta--los AR-15 y muchas de las otras armas que usan los narcos, el crimen organizado y los secuestradores provienen de Estados Unidos.

Según el Buró de Alcohol, Tabaco, Armas de Fuego y Explosivos (ATF, por sus siglas en ingles), más del 70 por ciento de las armas confiscadas en México y rastreadas, provienen de EE.UU.

¿Por qué terminan estas armas terminan en manos de estos temidos criminales? Vea este video producido por WOLA y Cuéntame. Los traficantes se aprovechan de que las leyes de armas de fuego son muy débiles. En muchos estados se puede comprar 10, 20 o incluso más armas de fuego en una sola transacción, con la intención de revenderlas después a algún traficante de armas. En contraste, en México es casi imposible comprar armas de fuego legalmente.

Pero del lado estadounidense de frontera, en Texas, Nuevo México, Arizona y California, hay más de 8,000 distribuidores de armas de fuego con licencia federal.

Detrás de estas armas hay una industria multibillonaria. Considere esto: DPMS-- uno de los muchos fabricantes de armas--produce alrededor de 74,000 rifles tipo AR al año, y los vende por aproximadamente 889 dólares cada uno, lo que le genera alrededor de 65 millones de dólares en ventas. Los distribuidores locales luego venden cada rifle estilo AR por cerca de 1,075 dólares. Algunas aproximaciones indican que este tipo de arma puede ser revendida en el mercado negro por hasta 1575 dólares. Finalmente, cuando llega a México, este tipo de arma pude ser vendida por hasta 4,300 dólares.

Esta industria multibillonaria usa los recursos necesarios para garantizar que el mercado de armas permanezca sin regulación. Todos en la cadena del tráfico de armas ganan mucho dinero, y aquellos que fabrican y venden armas cuentan con grupos de cabildeo poderosos que presionan al congreso estadounidense para garantizar que su negocio permanezca intacto. Es más que indignante que en Estados Unidos el acto de traficar armas no sea un delito federal. En vez, los traficantes de armas son castigados por el delito menor de vender armas sin licencia. Los castigos para este tipo de ofensa son un chiste--equivalentes al delito de traficar pollos o ganado.

Hay algunos valientes miembros del Congreso que están tratando de hacerle frente al problema, sin limitar el derecho de ciudadanos honestos a poseer armas. Por ejemplo, la congresista Carolyn Maloney (demócrata de Nueva York) y el congresista Elijah Cummings (demócrata de Maryland) están tratando de tipificar el acto de traficar armas como un delito federal punible hasta con 20 años de prisión. Su propuesta de ley también se enfoca en los líderes de las redes de tráfico de armas. El congresista Adam Schiff (demócrata de California) ha presentado legislación para acabar con el fenómeno de los llamado "straw purchasers"--personas sin antecedentes criminales que compran armas para luego venderlas a traficantes. Estas propuestas son cruciales para cerrar los huecos legislativos que permiten que florezca este negocio letal.

Pero el proceso de aprobar leyes es largo y difícil, y el Congreso de Estados Unidos está estancado en cuanto al tema de armas se refiere. La crisis en México y las tragedias terribles como la de Aurora ameritan una respuesta urgente. Y el presidente Obama puede tomar decisiones sin la aprobación del Congreso.

El movimiento en México por la paz y una coalición de organizaciones incluyendo a WOLA y Cuéntame se han unido a las muchas voces en ambos lados de la frontera que piden un alto al tráfico de armas. Hemos lanzando una petición al presidente Obama para que actúe ahora.

Como un primer paso, el presidente Obama debería hacer cumplir la existente prohibición sobre la importación de rifles de asalto. En segundo lugar, él debería darle al ATF los recursos y la autoridad necesaria para que éste pueda hacer su trabajo, especialmente en los estados fronterizos, en donde no cuenta con la capacidad de parar el flujo de armas masivo que cruza la frontera.

Por último, el presidente Obama debería exigirle a los vendedores de armas informar al ATF sobre la venta de múltiples rifles de asalto a una misma persona en un periodo de cinco días. La buena noticia es que el verano pasado Obama instauró esta regla. Pero desde entonces, miembros del congreso y sus aliados en la industria de armas han tratado de socavar esta regla. Para logar ser realmente efectivos, esta regla debería implementarse a través de todo el país.

Para los mexicanos, el fracaso de los Estados Unidos de frenar el tráfico de armas es un acto de irresponsabilidad tremendo que resulta en el derrame de sangre inocente. En nombre de los más de 60,000 muertos en México y de las víctimas de las balaceras en Estados Unidos, es hora de crear una legislación significativa para el control de armas en este país.

*Axel Caballero es director de Cuéntame y Kristel Muciño es directora de comunicación de la Oficina en Washington para Asuntos Latinoamericanos (WOLA).

U.S. Guns Cause Harm at Home and Abroad

2012-08-02T16:32:13-04:00

Co-authored by Kristel Mucino

The tragedy in Colorado demonstrated the devastating lethality of AR-15 type guns, like the one used in the Aurora shooting, and has caused many to question whether it makes sense to allow the purchase of military-style assault rifles. What a lot of people don't know is that these rifles are also the weapons of choice among ruthless Mexican drug cartels. In the last 6 years, over 60,000 people have lost their lives in Mexico's wave of violence.

The failure of the United States to enact meaningful gun regulation is not only affecting the United States; it is also fueling violence in Mexico. Among the victims are countless innocent bystanders, journalists, and children. The brutal truth is this -- the AR-15s and many other guns used by drug lords, gangs, and kidnappers come from the United States.

According to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), more than 70 percent of the weapons seized in Mexico in the last three years and submitted for tracing came from the United States.

How do these weapons end up in the hands of Mexico's brutal drug lords? Look at the video on gun trafficking produced by WOLA and Cuéntame and embedded here.

Straw purchasers take advantage of lax U.S. gun laws and, in most states, can buy 10, 20 or even more guns in one transaction, with the intention of reselling them to gun traffickers. In contrast, it is almost impossible to buy firearms legally in Mexico.

But on the U.S. side of the border, in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California, there are more than 8,000 federally licensed firearms dealers.

Behind these weapons there is a multibillion-dollar industry. Consider this: DPMS -- just one of many gun manufacturers -- makes an average of 74,000 AR-type rifles a year, then sells them for about $889 each, earning roughly $65 million dollars in sales. Local gun dealers then sell each AR-type rifle for an average of $1,075. Estimates indicate that such guns could then be resold on the black market for up to $1575. Finally, when they reach Mexico, the guns could be sold for up to $4,300.

This multibillion-dollar industry uses its resources to ensure that arms remain unregulated. Everyone in the trafficking chain makes big bucks, and those who manufacture and sell the guns have powerful firms that lobby Congress to ensure that their business remains untouched. It is beyond shocking that in the United States the act of trafficking guns is not a federal crime. Instead, gun traffickers get charged with the minor crime of selling guns without a license. The penalties for this are a joke -- equivalent to the crime of trafficking chickens or cattle.

There are a few brave members of Congress that are trying to address the problem without limiting the right of honest citizens to bear arms. For example, Representatives Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Elijah Cummings (D-MD) are trying to make the act of trafficking firearms a federal offense punishable with up to 20 years. The "Stop Gun Trafficking and Strengthen Law Enforcement Act of 2011" also targets those leading weapon trafficking rings.Representative Adam Schiff (D-CA) has introduced legislation to crack down on straw purchases. These bills would be crucial steps to close the loopholes that allow this lethal business to flourish.

But the process of passing laws is long and difficult, and Congress is in gridlock over the gun issue. The crisis in Mexico, as well as horrible tragedies like that of Aurora, call for urgent action -- action that President Obama can take without waiting for Congress.

Mexico's growing peace movement and a coalition of organizations in the United States, including WOLA and Cuéntame, have joined the many voices on both sides of the border calling for an end to gun trafficking.

As a first step, President Obama should enforce the existing ban on the importation of assault rifles. Second, he should give the ATF the resources and authority it needs to actually do its job, especially in border-states, where it lacks the capacity to stop the massive flow of arms across the border.

Finally, the petition calls on President Obama to require gun dealers in border states to report to the ATF the sale of multiple assault rifles to the same person over a period of five days. The good news is that last summer the Obama administration instituted this reporting rule. But since then, members of Congress and the gun lobby have tried to undermine the rule. To be really effective, this rule should be implemented all across the country.

For Mexicans across the political spectrum, the failure of the United States to stop gun trafficking is an act of tremendous irresponsibility that results in the spilling of innocent blood. In the name of the more than 60,000 victims in Mexico and of the victims of the many shootings in the United States, it is time to enact meaningful gun control legislation in this country.

Axel Caballero is the director of Cuéntame and Kristel Mucino is Communications Director at the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA).

VIDEO PREMIERE: Arizona, We Are All "Illegals"

2012-06-28T16:55:43-04:00

With the Supreme Court's decision on Arizona anti-immigrant law SB1070, we need now more than ever, to stand together and send a strong & united message: In this country - We Are All "Illegals"!

The decision, while hopeful in some areas, leaves a huge gap - one in which allows for the discrimination, persecution on profiling of our community. The underlying problem is that as a culture we have defined immigrants as "illegal" entities.

We use the word often, spreading it in every day life - in the media, in our conversations. We have to move away from this frame of mind. Actions are "illegal", human beings ARE NOT!

This is why Cuéntame partnered with Outernational, Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, Residente of Calle 13, Pop/Latin Producer Thom Russo as well as video & photo submissions from over 100 fans worldwide to produce a powerful, creative and important music video.

This release highlights the absurdity and obsolescence of the very notion of human beings deemed "illegal" in the year 2012.

The video highlights the obscenity in this day an age on our attitudes about the border, and a system that criminalizes those who create the wealth it rests upon. It penalizes immigrants, locks them up and make a profit.

Furthermore, it uses our community as scapegoats for personal and machiavellian political agendas. This electoral cycle is an opportunity to put an end to it once and for all.

Miles Solay, the lead singer for Outernational best puts it when he says, "See that border ain't sacred or chosen, the land we stand on, every inch of it stolen, how obscene that there's people 'illegal', vilified survival, the journey is lethal."

The release f this video also comes behind the backdrop of President Obama's "administrative relief" for young undocumented Americans, a recognition of the immense contribution of these brave AMERICANS.

It is against the backdrop of heightened drama around issues of immigration, race, and class that Cuéntame makes it clear that we stand alongside and in solidarity with undocumented peoples and say, "Todos Somos Ilegales/We Are All Illegals."

La primavera mexicana y el próximo presidente

2012-06-02T07:10:00-04:00

Era de esperarse, mas aún así sigue siendo sorprendente. Una movilización estudiantil que hace lo que la clase política y el árbitro electoral han dejado de hacer. Una voz joven que está dejando en claro cual debe ser el futuro de el país. Sin duda alguna que el movimiento #yosoy132 ha comenzado a destapar la frustración y el despertar de un pueblo que se había escondido detrás del temor y el hartazgo. Mucho hablan los partidistas de la necesidad de contrarrestar la apatía en los procesos democráticos. Pues ahí lo tienen, jóvenes hambrientos por derrumbar el patético control que posee la clase aristocrática, telecrática y corporativa del país.

¿Ah, no les gusta ésta primavera Mexicana? Pues claro, si siempre pensaron que los jóvenes apoyarían al mismo sistema que los ha dejado abajo. Ese sistema que les vende telenovelas y cuentos de hadas, embobando el tiempo al aire con historietas, ídolos falsos y propaganda que solo busca mantener a los de arriba, arriba y a los de abajo muy abajo. Vendiendo mentiras, cegando verdades y creciendo la absurda brecha entre los del poder y los que ahí los mantienen. Pero en estas últimas semanas - algo cambió. La mecha que aparentaba ser larga de un explosivo latente se acortó. Y el '68 se convirtió en un 132.

¿Porqué a mi? Dice incrédulamente el protegido priísta. Porque simboliza precisamente todo lo que está mal en éste país. Un producto mediático, un ídolo falso, un engendro y heredero de lo peor del viejo PRI bajo la propaganda de un supuesto nuevo PRI que nunca existió. Un candidato de telenovela, cuentos de hada e historietas - irónicamente casado con la mismísima protagonista del canal de las estrellas. Una carita, que según esto ni el verbo mata - pero detrás de él una espectacular maquinaria corrupta, amafiada y asentada en feudales estatales, caudillos legisladores y de obscuros personajes - como es el caso del Sr. Yarrington - que han mostrado que detrás del telón hay un nido de cucarachas.

¿Pero porqué no levanta, si es mujer? Se preguntan los partidarios de Josefina Vásquez Mota. Porque no es el hecho de ser mujer lo que cambia las cosas, sino de la burda venta del país por parte del PAN a los corporativos. No es sólo la violencia la que se rechaza sino la creación de el México Inc. Si, esa corporación nacida en los ochentas, arraigada en el Salinismo y corporatizada bajo el panismo. Esa corporación que nutre a los golosos y obesos con más dulces, mientras deja a los hambrientos con menos pan. No, no solo es la violencia la causa del abismo azul, sino gracias a las riendas entregadas al insaciable 1 por ciento del país. El PAN si cambió al país, se lo dio de las manos de los ricos a las manos de los más ricos. Y demostró que su antigua lucha desde la oposición - no era para crear una democracia para todas y todas sino para crear una exclusivamente para los empresarios. ¿Porqué no levanta Josefina? Porque es del PAN y el PAN ya se acabó.

Juicio político a Gordillo. Sí, y de una vez a su títere. Si de lo peor de lo peor se trata, esta mujer es el emblema del asco. Sin escrúpulos, es el símbolo sexual perfecto de una telaraña. Utilizando el poder, la fuerza laboral y a millones de mexicanos para estrechar aún mas su de por sí ya cirujeada figura. El clamor del movimiento estudiantil por sacar a esta mujer del sistema político, no solamente es acertada sino necesaria - es el pulso exacto de si en verdad existe una democracia. El dejarla rondar los pasillos del poder es abusar aún más de un país descarademente violado.

Y finalmente la pregunta de los seis millones de dólares. ¿Es el #yosoy132 un movimiento que impulsará a AMLO a la presidencia? Tal vez o tal vez no. Ese es el dilema de la primavera mexicana - abrirse al sol azteca o taparse de él. Sin duda alguna y debido a las similitudes ideológicas del movimiento estudiantil -habrá aquellos que entregan el fervor a su candidato. Pero ojo, el poder se mantiene en el poder porque con poder pueden. Y lo que Dios une, lo tratará de cambiar el hombre. Es decir, si ambos el movimiento estudiantil y la izquierda mexicana creen que mágicamente esto ya está solucionado entonces ambos saldrán devastadoramente desilusionados. Las décadas del ocaso progresista, las represiones, las muertes, el abuso, la corrupción, las persecuciones, las desapariciones forzadas, las izquierdas manipuladas, el partidismo oligárquico y el robo electoral que tanto ejemplifican la época moderna mexicana - no surgieron de la nada. Los intereses y los grupos en el poder, harán hasta lo imposible para mantener lo que hasta hoy bien les ha redituado. El que divide, conquista. Y el PRI, y el PAN y el COCHINAL muy bien lo saben.

Video sobre el #YoSoy132:

Detainees: Working For $1 A Day, Using Phone for $5 A Minute

2011-11-16T07:01:28-05:00

Correction Corporation of America's Stewart facility in Lumpkin, Georgia is the largest private detention center in the nation. It holds 2000 detainees, charging taxpayers up to $200 a night and producing yearly profits that hover between $35 and $50 million. The facility secures more income through cost cutting measures that range from denying basic necessary services to detained immigrants to limiting access to their family members.

Stewart detention center is located in a remote Georgia location at least an hour away from any sort of communication or service providers. This is primarily because CCA often buys cheap land in order to cut construction costs and increase profit margins. Relatives and representatives of those detained at Stewart find it nearly impossible to visit or communicate with the inmate, that is if they even know that he or she is being held there.

As if that weren't enough, CCA charges inmates more than $5 a minute to make a phone call. To pay for this, inmates work in the facility and earn a whopping $1 a day. Five days of hard work gives them just enough time for a one minute phone call.

This is an intrinsic and essential problem with our current immigration system, it is putting profit over sensible policy. CCA and GEO the two larges private prison operators currently profit close to $5 billion and their share prices are at an all-time high. What is worse, local, state and federal government agencies continue to yield their power to corporations. From Florida (Southwest Ranch) to California (Adelanto) more and more Wal-Mart sized private detention centers are being co-opted with opportunistic officials and legislators. The money machine is just too perfect.

Recent anti-immigration laws in Alabama (HB56) and Georgia (HB87) guarantee that neighbor facilities will have an influx of "product." In the past few years, CCA has spent $14.8 million lobbying for anti-immigration laws to ensure they have continuous access to fresh inmates and keep their money racket going. In 2010 CCA CEO Damon T. Hininger received $3,266,387 in total compensation.

Yet, numerous cases of abuse, neglect and flat-out exploitation have exposed the reality of the system: As long as private prisons are increasing their profits, it doesn't matter who gets hurt or locked-up.

On November 18th, a coalition of immigrant and civil rights organizations will conduct a powerful vigil and occupation outside the Stewart facility in Georgia. The demand: Shut down Stewart Detention Center now and cancel private prison contracts. Our immigration system is broken and yet corporations seam to be reaping billions in benefits. Who cares? After all YOU are paying for it.

The "Whitening" of Occupy Wall Street

2011-11-04T07:48:51-04:00

Rush Limbaugh called occupiers: "Lazy, Spoiled Rotten, 99 Percent White Kids." Conservative columnist Michelle Malkin described the movement as "mostly white." Several newspapers ran front page stories highlighting an alleged lack of diversity within the occupy movement. Slowly, it seems, a media consensus is building around the narrative that the Occupy movement does not represent minorities, including the Latino community.

Yet across the country the reality is quite different. From Los Angeles to New York, Latino presence has been felt and heard loud and clear. Carrying different banners, from labor to immigration-all with the common theme of fighting corporate greed and abuse-the movement is much more diverse than what is seen on TV or what is read in the headlines. So why is it that the media is downplaying our communities' involvement? The occupiers themselves have a thought or two on this:

It is for no other reason that news media distrust is on the rise. It effectively contravenes what the Occupy movement is supposed to be all about. So it comes to no surprise that the likes of Limbaugh and Buchannan are driving the narrative of what this movement is and what it is not. They build the frame and corporate media follows.

Their interest is to present a lazy, disorganized, unclear, isolated, small, ethnically monotone movement-one which they advocate as bound to quickly dilute. The key element here is that it is precisely this media that is working actively to dilute it. By effectively censoring Latino voices, for example, from within the movement they portray Occupy as not "really" representing the majority (or the 99%). The goal is clear: Marginalize the movement and show that it is merely a "few" causing a raucous. Exactly what Limbaugh, Malkin, Buchannan truly want. Media is being hijacked by the same elements which Occupiers are riling against.

Undoubtedly the next step will be a blackout. They will present it as an "old story," something that "wasn't real" and that is no longer "worth covering." This will be to their detriment, of course, not only because the movement is very much "real" but because it doesn't really need the publicity that corporate media alleges to provide. Occupiers are diverse, savvy and motivated enough to democratize media in itself.

Alabama's Shame: Slavery By Another Name?

2011-10-14T13:23:21-04:00

Several days have now passed since Alabama's anti-immigration law, the harshest and most abusive in the nation, came into full effect. HB 56, a de facto criminalization of migration, replaces any sensible immigration policy with the favorite solution these days: let's put them behind bars- and we might as well make a profit out of it.

The negative consequences of such shameful legislation have been felt immediately. Within hours, it had claimed its first victims - from the detention of a man who later turned out to be residing legally, to the massive fleeing of migrant workers and school children, to even cutting off water services to families or individuals who can't prove their legal status. It is the most draconian and oppressive set of provisions that this country, which claims to be the bastion of liberties and rights, has seen since the era of segregation.

Because anyone lacking the proper immigration papers is considered to be committing a crime, also entering into a "business transaction" with the individual in question would prompt criminal charges. The pressure to enact and enforce anti-immigration law has left state and local police officers and government agents and officials in a bind. Already struggling to meet demands, with shortened budgets and staff, these agencies must now devise ways to comply with the new set of measures. And at present, these often lead to confusion as to when, how, where and to whom to apply the law.

A consequence of this chaos, though, is that we're seeing absurd and flat out racist applications of the law. A hotline set up by an immigrant protection group has received more than 2,000 phone calls from families in dire need. The pleas range from mothers trying to place their children in safe protection while they look to flee the state, to students being questioned at schools and accounts of abuse and harassment. It is not clear yet how many have been or will be arrested under this provision, but the number will surely make one sector happy: private detention facilities.

Yes, Alabama will have to go that route. In fact, it already has. Not only will this law supply fresh inmates to private detention centers in the state - like the one operated in Decatur by LCS correctional corporation - but it will also feed an already bloated national private prison system controlled by two major corporations, CCA (Corrections Corporation of America) and the GEO group, which have a combined profit of more than $5bn a year. CCA, for example, runs the largest facility in the nation in neighboring Georgia and may potentially take a good portion of the detainees in Alabama. Charging $200 a night, this is an opportunity they'll jump at.

The difference between Alabama and adjoining states is that it is willing to go further down this track. Recently, John McMillan, agriculture commissioner, proposed that the farm work left behind by immigrant workers be supplied with inmate labor. Decatur, a private detention center about 50 miles to the north-west of Alabama, which had been unable to find jobs for inmates, has now witnessed record numbers of requests for labor (for an estimated 150 detainees a day).

So, here is how it goes. First, the state passes a harsh immigration law. Then, it detains large numbers of immigrants. Third, private prisons (LCS, CCA, GEO) receive fresh inmates. And finally, the artificially created labor shortage is supplied by the new inmates. Does this sound like modern-day slavery to anyone?

The rest of the country can only look in shock and dismay, as once again, Alabama, a state renowned for its historical role in racism, segregation and slavery, leads the nation into another round of shame.

Immigrant Detention Business Is Booming, So Is Abuse

2011-09-30T07:52:44-04:00

When there is a social issue brewing there is always somebody ready to make a buck off of it. That is the premise of how private prison companies operate in the U.S. and across the globe. The advent of anti-immigrant sentiment in many parts of the country -fueled in great by the detention multi-nationals themselves coupled with opportunist politicians - has given rise to a booming industry that relies solely on the persecution of the migrant community. Yet, the notion that private prison companies can provide legitimate and adequate facilities for the detention of immigrants and the idea that they have a vested interest in the direction of immigration policy is not only absurd but flat-out dangerous.

Such is the case, as reported today by The New York Times, with the global Florida-based company The GEO Group. The GEO Group is the nation's second largest for-profit prison company within a $5 billion industry, and is often said to have greater power than the governments of countries where it operates. =In many cases GEO has influenced and dictated what local, state or federal approaches would be used to fill the hundreds of thousands of bed spaces they own. As the article points out, GEO Group posted a "40% increase in second-quarter profits," pointing to immigrant persecution as the main driver for new profit. The more immigrants in, the more money goes to CEO pockets. This is a perfect money-machine and GEO knows it well. In fact, they have been associated with strong lobby and campaign contribution efforts in order to promote and advance both anti-immigrant legislation as well as state privatization of prison initiatives.

Their influence is present at every level, aided greatly by the secrecy upon which federal, local and state contracts are conceived. In Florida for example, Sen. Marco Rubio has not only received $50,000 from the GEO group in campaign contributions - purportedly for his support into fast-tracking privatization initiatives - but is also a targeted subject of an FBI investigation for his role in the Blackwater River Correctional Facility (CF), which opened its gates for operation in November 2010. The prison was designed and is operated by GEO, which has secured multi-year, multi-billion contracts across the country, paid for by good-old tax-payer money.

Immigrants For Salehttp://immigrantsforsale.org, the documentary investigation by the national Latino organization Cuéntame has catalogued hundreds of hours of footage and extensive research that consistently points to the detrimental effect GEO and other private prison operators have had on the national immigration debate. One of the most dangerous discoveries, on top of an already troublesome political influence, is that these operators have gone to great length to secure their profit often at the expense of the detainees' physical and mental integrity. These private facilities operate in the wild, without proper and necessary oversight. As such, they often cut medical services, food quality, hygienic conditions, trained personnel, and proper treatment of detainees to limit cuts and increase profit. This was certainly the case in Texas, where inmates broke out in riots in 2009 and 2010 "after several detainees died in solitary confinement."

Yet, private detention operators like the GEO Group continue to boast about their increasing share value. Time and again they point to the anti-immigrant legislation as a sure guarantee for ongoing business. They have billions at stake and they will do anything possible to keep it that way. This is the current state of our immigration system, one that puts profit over decency and greed over sensible policy. U.S. counties, states and the Department of Homeland Security have all been hijacked by big global prison corporations - like the GEO Group - who in turn are more than ready to transform a pressing social issue into an obscure and ruthless money scheme. It doesn't matter who they lock-up, how they lock them up or why they are locked-up. At $200 a night, they are making a killing - and YOU are paying for it.

Lost, Abused and Neglected for a Profit

2011-09-15T18:10:12-04:00

Guillermo Gomez-Sanchez is a 50-year-old legal resident with a mental disability. In 2004, Gomez was detained because of a dispute at a grocery store over a bag of tomatoes. His detention led him into a labyrinth of abuse and neglect -- in an immigration system that increasingly puts profit over justice by handing the reins to private prison corporations.

HuffPost LatinoVoices and Cuéntame's Immigrants For Sale campaign have documented the case of Guillermo, who got lost in this system, while his mother Dolores Gomez-Sanchez spent years desperately searching for answers. The problem: Guillermo was sent to a private detention facility operated by Corrections Corporation of America (CCA). Dolores approached immigration authorities, but time and again was told that because Guillermo was in a CCA facility his case was no longer their problem. At one point the only information immigration officials could offer her was that Guillermo was beaten by guards and hospitalized after requesting to use a bathroom.

Private prison corporations like CCA do not care who and how they lock immigrants up. At a rate of up to $200 per inmate per night, this is the "perfect" money scheme. As such, CCA failed to report Guillermo's condition -- why should they? The longer Guillermo was locked up the more money in their coffers. Guillermo spent two years in CCA's detention center. At average contract rates, the operator pocketed an estimated $90,000 off of his incarceration.

According to Bardis Vakili, the lawyer handling the Gomez-Sanchez case, this is a typical case where families have a hard time locating their detained relatives. "Getting to these big corporations represents a nightmare for people that don't have a law degree," he said. Detained immigrants also don't have the right to an attorney, which further exacerbates their struggle.

CCA along with the GEO GROUP and Management and Training Corporation currently profit close to $5 billion a year -- with immigrant detention revenue representing a strong portion of their income. They view the anti-immigrant movement as a positive step to increase the value of their stock. In fact, this year CCA's share price is at record levels, oscillating around $26. In 2010, CCA CEO Damon T. Hininger received $3,266,387 in total compensation. The more immigrants detained, the more bed spaces they can fill and the more their stock shoots up. It's the perfect money machine and they have no intention of letting that go.

Just last year the "major three" spent close to $20 million in lobbying and campaign contribution efforts. These corporations have been tied to the passage of anti-immigrant laws such as Arizona's SB1070 and Georgia's HB87 in an effort standardize the criminalization of immigrants across the country. As Guillermo's story demonstrates, the consequence of this is a system that eats immigrants up in a for-profit scheme. As Guillermo himself puts it, once you are in "it is very hard to get out."

Why do we leave our immigration system in the hands of corporations? How many more people are suffering and lost in a system that values profit over justice? Join the ongoing discussion led by Cuéntame and its Immigrant For Sale documentary campaign.

Meet The New American Sweatshop

2011-08-30T23:25:03-04:00

The professional carwash industry is a $23 billion enterprise, one which more and more Americans make use of every year. If you visited a carwash lately - which judging by the latest industry report you probably have or will in the near future - you may have noticed the fast and arduous labor of carwash workers. You have seen that even in the most extreme heat or cold weather, carwash workers are hard at it - focusing on every nook and cranny of your vehicle.

What you probably missed - as is the case in many carwashes across the country - is that this work can be accompanied by obscene labor abuses, health hazardous conditions, employer exploitation and intimidation. Carwash workers are the face of the new American sweatshop.

Carwash operators routinely violate basic employment laws like those requiring workers be permitted to take rest breaks or have access to shade and clean drinking water. Workers frequently work more than 10 hours a day, more than 6 days a week, without even the slightest thought of overtime. In fact, car wash workers are often paid much less than the legal minimum wage, sometimes earning less than $3 an hour or working for cash tips alone. Employees who complain about the exploitative conditions at the workplace are often intimidated and threatened by car wash operators.

A majority of carwash workers are Latino and immigrants - many do not have a clear understanding of their rights, which opens the door for abusive car wash operators to take advantage. Cuéntame has launched a documentary video and a national campaign exposing the sweatshop practices and is calling for individuals who have witnessed these or other abusive conditions at their local car washes to submit there stories on their website.

The video documents how carwash workers are subject to health and safety hazards such as constant exposure to water and to dangerous chemicals without protective gear. Workers in the industry have reported severe kidney damage, respiratory problems and nerve deterioration. Most lack health insurance, services or protection and end up using up all their earnings to pay their medical bills. It is a shameful and vicious cycle with no apparent end.

According to the Community Labor Environmental Action Network (CLEAN), an advocacy organization working to protect car wash workers' rights, in Los Angeles, CA alone there are approximately 10,000 carwash workers that are potentially exposed to this abuse on a daily basis. This past June, the Clean Carwash Campaign helped a former Los Angeles carwash worker win an $80,000 lawsuit against his ex-employers who forced him for years to work early in the morning but prevented him from clocking in officially until later in the day. The campaign has been working to improve conditions and to ensure that carwash employers meet labor standards and abide by fair workplace practices, but there is still much more that needs to be done.

The exploitation of car wash workers is the face of a new American sweatshop, one that operates in plain daylight in our communities, in our neighborhoods and at our corner carwash. It's time to stop turning a blind eye to it.

Voices and Stories of a Latino Movement

2011-08-13T08:00:30-04:00

There has been a wealth of bad news hitting the Latino community over the past couple of years. Harsh anti-immigration laws have sprung up across the country from Arizona to Alabama. Home foreclosures and predatory lending have used and abused the community into economic despair. A recent Pew Hispanic Center report highlights that Latino families took the biggest blow during the economic recession. Income levels for Latino workers are at an all-time low. Private prison corporations are "making a killing" off of the incarceration of migrants. The past electoral cycle brought out the worst in racial politics -- not only pitting us against other communities -- but producing countless political ads which peddled the most obscene of Latino stereotypes. A day doesn't go by in which mainstream media ceases to demonize the DREAMER movement (the courageous students fighting for a DREAM Act) and categorically lumps the community into one single word: ILLEGALS. From Sheriff Joe Arpaio in Arizona to Rep. Virgil Peck in Kansas, outrageous rhetoric -- which often advocates the use of violence -- goes unchecked and in many cases is encouraged by their commonly misinformed supporters. It's not only a saddening and infuriating trend but one that has had all the potential to destroy the morale, the hope and the unity of an entire community. Then again, it is clear that they don't know what our Latino community is all about.

Far from splitting us apart -- all these efforts have done is to encourage the building of a greater movement of unity. One in which Latinos, from different backgrounds and living distinct experiences have come together to share one understanding: Our voice is stronger when we stand together. We have seen the exponential growth of online Latino movements from social network organizing to complex, innovative and advanced media campaigns. We have seen powerful actions emerge -- from the nationwide solidarity against Arizona's SB1070 -- to the highest Latino electoral turnout in the past mid-term elections. We have seen the rise of inspirational figures -- from Daniel Hernandez -- the intern who rushed to Rep. Giffords side -- to the same DREAMER students whom in spite of being vilified and persecuted fight against all odds to stay in the only place they can call home. It is through the different voices and personal stories that we open a new window into what our community is all about: Warmth, understanding, patience, courage, patriotism, respect and a powerful resilience in the face of adversity. There are infinite adjectives and words that even the most prolific of dictionaries won't come close to encapsulating what the Latino community is all about and what it can offer. We can only do so through each of our voices, each of our experiences and a collective sense that despite useless attempts to slice and dice us -- there is an engrained identity that encourages us to help each other out in these most pressing times.

The community is at a crossroads -- growing to now more than 50 million in this country - there is a real and latent opportunity for substantial progress and change. One that can effectively translate to the advancement of civil rights, the fight against racial discrimination and intolerance, the advocacy for economic justice, closing the gap on wealth disparity and the everlasting fight for the rights of our immigrant friends and families. Yet, the roads split when we see how the birth of nativist and racially tinged political agendas attack and confuse what the struggle is all about. Fringe politicians backed by these same organizations (from Federation for American Immigration Reform to the vile John Tanton network), financed by corporate juggernauts that profit from immigrant detentions (private prison CCA, GEO group and their investors) and blinded by their drive for political power are fueling a split in the community. They are using their economic power to effectively control the media narrative (Surprise Fox News just launched Fox News Latino?), hijack state legislators and create a public perception that the Latino community is weak, disorganized, split and above all that it is a weight to the economic shoulders of what they see as "real " Americans.

This is precisely the reason why it becomes even more important to tell the true stories of families who work hard day in and day out to build and rebuild their homes. To share the daily struggles that migrants faced working the fields making pennies and contributing actively to the economy -- not only by paying taxes (a fact often gone unreported) but through the rich cultural and social traditions that they offer. To give a glimpse into the millions of individuals, students, families who can relate their success stories, their positive contributions and their giving back selflessly. To highlight the arts, the music, the films and the diversity that makes this country special. These are the true Latino voices that need to be told. We at Cuéntame (which translates into count me in or tell me your story) have told ours and have collected thousands more through hundreds of videos produced over the past couple of years that cover all these. We need more -- we need to unify those voices and tell the millions that have yet to be told. Through spaces like Latino Voices and like Cuéntame we can accomplish that goal. What is your story. ¡Cuéntame!

Death for Profit

2011-07-25T15:25:34-04:00

In March 2009, Roberto Martinez-Medina was detained and arrested for not having a driver's license or proof of legal status. Immediately after his arrest, Medina was sent to CCA's (Corrections Corporation of America) Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia. Less than a month later Roberto Martinez-Medina was dead.

During his detainment at Stewart Detention Center -- the largest private prison in the country -- Medina complained of a pre-existing heart ailment, but was denied medical care over several shifts. There is no medical service available at the detention center, and the nearest hospital is at least an hour away. The main reason for this lack of basic care: CCA had cut medical care costs and other basic needs to increase their quarterly and yearly profit.

Bryan Holcomb, an ex-CCA quality assurance manager, spoke exclusively to Cuéntame's Immigrant For Sale producers to expose the negligent operations at Stewart Detention Center. Holcomb assures that this malpractice is common at the facility due to ongoing cuts to basic services. From contaminated drinking water, to chemical agents being used to quell detainee complaints, Holcomb says CCA has gone to great lengths to cover up its insufficient care and mistreatment of detainees.

Cuéntame's latest exposé highlights precisely what is wrong with America's penitentiary system and immigrant detention centers. The continued persecution of undocumented immigrants has created a multi-billion dollar operation -- private prisons with a single profit motive: the incarceration of immigrants.

States send your tax dollars to these corporations -- approximately $200 a night per detained immigrant. Yet, the funding is not ensuring basic necessities for migrants waiting for their legal status to be resolved. Instead, your money is lining the pockets of CEOs and fat cats who view our immigration system as one big ATM machine. It is no surprise that these same individuals and companies have successfully lobbied for the passage of harsh anti-immigration laws across the country.

In fact, Georgia -- the home of the nation's largest private prison -- just passed HB87, a de facto criminalization of immigration. Gov. Nathan Deal, who advocated and signed the bill, received thousands in campaign contributions from CCA during the last election cycle. Undocumented or not, if migrants can't prove their legal status they'll be shipped off and face harsh, life-threatening conditions, all while private prison CEOs rake in the cash.

CCA profited off of Medina's incarceration, and ensured an even greater profit by denying him critical health care. The inhumane conditions at CCA facilities are directly related to their obsession in cutting costs for profit.

Cuéntame is demanding an investigation into Medina's case. So far, all parties involved have ignored and even covered-up elements of the case. You can demand an investigation at immigrantsforsale.org.

Private prisons across the country are making a killing, and you are paying for it.

Immigrants For Sale

2011-05-12T15:52:05-04:00

Georgia is the latest state to pass an anti-immigrant bill like SB1070, with Governor Nathan Deal expected to sign it tomorrow. Georgia is also home to the largest private prison in the country. Coincidence? Not even close.

It's hardly a secret that private prison corporations like Corrections Corporation of America and The GEO group, along with right-wing lobbying group ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council) and a few pocketed state legislators like Russell Pearce in Arizona, have been at it -- deliberately promoting and designing laws aimed at incarcerating immigrants and turning the prison system into an incredibly lucrative business.

Just last year the private prison industry secured close to $5 billion through state and government elicited contracts of which an increasing percentage is attributed to migrant detention facilities and bed spaces. An NPR report outlined how CCA aims to translate the anti-immigrant rhetoric and political void into a long-lasting cash drive -- believing that immigrants will provide a fresh influx of 'guests' in their less then onerous 'hotel' cells. Even worse, CCA founder Tomas Beasly once called his scheme 'more profitable' than selling burgers or cars -- a clear indication that any sense of justice in the prison industry will be forever trumped by cash flows and profit margins.

It is clear that for CCA, along with the GEO Group and Management and Training, immigrants are a product -- one that is for sale to the highest vendor. They view locked-up immigrants as the next big share jump, stock option, bonus incentive or any other motive that tickles their multi-billion dollar fancy. They have no shame admitting so -- every year the private prison industry gets together for a major convention to essentially design strategies that will fill the more then 150,000 bed spaces they currently own.

There is always one question that lingers: What happens once these spaces are filled? Their answer: Get the IMMIGRANTS. There will forever be an immigration issue -- so what better way to stay in business? Round-em up like cattle, shackle them up by feet and hands and throw them in a cell where they'll most likely get lost in a system ill-designed to provide justice to anyone except their self-serving patrons.

What is even more disappointing is that government officials -- from the state and local levels to the federal administration -- have decided to abandon any possibility for real comprehensive immigration approach. Instead they continue to allow profit-seeking corporations to fill the gaps left by inadequate policy, offering up YOUR tax dollars and creating yet another industry bubble that uses immigrant persecution as their main throttle.

The immigration debate needs a serious, integrated national and foreign policy plan -- one the deals with the root of the issue. What it doesn't need are the hands of businessmen looking to make another buck. What we get are ill-advised, constitutionally useless discriminatory laws like SB1070 -- laws that have caused more harm to the debate, the economy and the nation's political discourse.

This model prioritizes profit ahead of brains. Money ahead of humanity. Greed in place of decency. It's 'immigration' being put up for sale. We can no longer afford our apathy. The longer we wait to build coherent, legal solutions to the issue, the more abusive practices continue to prosper. It's time to take a very close look at what private prisons are doing to our security, our social fabric and our Latino communities.

They are using us as scapegoats to fill the coffers -- as pawns in the next Ponzi scheme. CCA, ALEC and their cronies are not in it to "fix" the immigration issue. Who are we kidding? They love it -- the less immigrants to put behind bars, the less Latinos to incarcerate while waiting for proof of papers, the less individuals to get lost in the system--the less dollars deposited into their bank accounts. They don't care about who is affected, who dies in their care, who faces persecution by the hateful laws they are peddling.

It's all about the profit.

They are making a killing, and you are paying for it.