On Wednesday August 8, 2012 the Joint Legislative Auditing Committee (JLAC) of California will consider whether to direct the State Bureau of Audits to look into Escondido's suspect towing and impound programs. California State Senator Christine Kehoe submitted the request to JLAC after an initial investigation I conducted...

Last week I sat with Maria Puga as she watched the PBS "Need to Know" episode of an investigation into the brutal beating, tasing and subsequent death of her husband and the father of their 5 children, Anastasio Hernandez Rojas. They had been together for decades when he...

On a spring morning in 2010, Leticia dropped two of her children at school, and continued on to run errands with her 4-year-old daughter. Then, she was stopped at a checkpoint. According to retired San Diego police officer, Carlos Ronquillo, who was a witness, Escondido was conducting a DUI checkpoint...

When most people think of the U.S.-Mexico border, they rarely think about a zone where U.S. policy and U.S. agents violate human rights on a daily basis. In the border region it is common practice. I know it doesn't sound possible or true, but it is real and happens regularly....

If you have ever visited a U.S. town or major city along the U.S.-Mexico border you will quickly realize it is a unique part of the country. The region is alive with multiculturalism, globalization and ethnic diversity. I was born in a border town in Mexico, Tijuana, and grew up...

As a Latino voter in California I have been intently watching the gubernatorial campaign of Meg Whitman for the past several months. If you live in California you undoubtedly have seen the endless television campaign ads that that are a result of her infinite resources. A few months ago, her...

A few days ago The Iowa Independent featured an article about U.S. Congressman Steve King's assertion that a 2,000-mile long border wall between the U.S. and Mexico would have prevented the shooting death of Sergio Adrian Hernandez Guereca, a fifteen year old Mexican National who was recently gunned...

Congressman Duncan D. Hunter recently addressed a group of constituents at a town-hall style meeting in San Diego County. One of the topics was his favorite, illegal immigration. As you can see by the video clip, he ended his remarks with strong support of Arizona's recent legislation SB1070 and the...

Georgia state lawmakers are discriminating against immigrants through proposed legislation SB 67 that would restrict driver's license exams to be issued in English only. Currently the state offers the exam in 13 different languages but according to State Senator Jack Murphy, the chief proponent of the legislation, restricting the privilege...

Fox News host Bill O'Reilly's recent comments on April 8, 2009 about a Mexican invasion are stupid. I wish there was a more appropriate word I could use to describe O'Reilly's claim that the U.S. is being invaded by Mexico. The dictionary definition of the word invasion, in this context...

Arizona state legislators are once again positioning themselves to be the most hate-based state in the union. Arizona State Senator Russell K. Pearce (R) is a perfect example of hate mongering and overt racism. I realize that terms like "hate monger" and "racist" are strong accusations but I...

On March 21, 2010 immigrant rights advocates by the tens of thousands will be in Washington, DC to make their case known to the nation. For me, the need for comprehensive immigration reform is obvious. I was born in Mexico of U.S. citizen parents. My parent's citizenship automatically made me...

A recent article from Nathan Hodge on Wired.com caught my eye. He reported that defense technology contractor, DRS Technologies has developed a system of infrared surveillance cameras for border security between U.S. and Mexico. There are three different camera systems to choose from, named, Chili, Jalapeno,...

A few years ago I grew concerned about the massive escalation of security infrastructure that was being built along the U.S. Mexico border. I was born in Tijuana, Mexico and grew up on the flip side of the border in San Diego, California only a few hundred yards from the...

Award winning filmmaker, John Carlos Frey's latest documentary film, "The 800 Mile Wall," will begin a nationwide tour in February 2010 to raise awareness about the current human rights crisis caused by U.S. Border policy. The 800 Mile Wall, highlights the construction of border walls along the U.S.-Mexico...

On Jan. 10, 2009, yhe National Geographic Channel premiered its new series entitled, Border Wars to the highest ratings in the history of the channel. That seems like a victory and an important milestone for National Geographic, but, unfortunately, it comes at the expense of the worst humanitarian...

On Dec. 27, 2009 Brady McCombs of the Arizona Daily Star in Tucson published a sobering article about migrant death in the Sonoran desert. He concluded that, "illegal border crossers face a deadlier trek than ever." The reason migrants are more likely to die than in years past,...