East County News Service

March 8, 2023 (San Diego) – The San Diego Film Festival is celebrating its 30^th anniversary. This year’s festival, produced by the nonprofit Media Arts Center, will take place March 9-19 at two locations: AMC Mission Valley Cinemas  (1640 Camino Del Rio N., San Diego) and at the Digital Gym Cinema (1100 Market St. 2^nd floor, San Diego).

The San Diego Latino Film Festival is an 11 day celebration of Latino Cinema, Arts & Culture. The festival will present over 160 films from Latin America, the United States, and Spain as well as Opening Night and Closing Night Parties, the 5th Annual Sabor Latino – Food, Beer & Wine Festival, Q&A sessions with visiting filmmakers, free student screenings, and more. Audiences will have the rare opportunity to meet filmmakers and actors from all over the world. Full lineup to be announced in February 2023.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo:  asylum seekers – cc by SA-NC via Bing

January 12, 2023 (San Diego) – U.S. Customs and Border Patrol has announced a new phone app called CBP One that migrants seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border can use to schedule an appointment. Asylum-seekers currently in central or northern Mexico must enter a photo and biographical details to request an appointment at one of eight ports of entry in California, Arizona and Texas.

East County News Service

January 1, 2023 (Borrego Springs) – The Borrego Arts Institute gallery will host a show of contemporary Latin American art featuring selected works by artists of Latino heritage or art that has been strongly influenced by the Latino Culture January 7-29.

The exhibit includes a special showing by Barbara Rivera titled Viva La Vida and an opening reception January 7 from 3-5 p.m. featuring music by Mariachi Mixteco.

By Suzanne Potter, California News Service

Photo: CC by NC via Bing

November 11, 2022 (Sacramento) -- Conventional wisdom said in a close election like this week's midterms, turnout is key, and a new poll from a Latino rights group found both parties might have blown it, in terms of outreach to their community.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo:  migrant camp in Mexico; CC via Bing

July 2, 2022 (Washington D.C.) – The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 this week to allow the Biden administration to end the “Remain in Mexico” policy imposed by Trump, a program officially known as the Migrant Protection Protocols. That policy forced most migrants to stay in Mexico instead of being either detained in the U.S. or released here while awaiting immigration hearings. But hurdles remain before most migrants can be granted entry into the U.S.

The ruling leaves thousands of Border Patrol agents "absolutely immunized from liability," said Justice Sonia Sotomayor, "no matter how egregious the misconduct or resultant injury."

By Julia Conley, staff writer, Common Dreams

Reprinted under a Creative Commons license from Common Dreams

June 9, 2022 (San Diego) - A ruling by the right-wing majority on the U.S. Supreme Court Wednesday "will have far-reaching consequences" for people who accuse federal agents of violating their constitutional rights, the ACLU warned after the court ruled against a man who wanted to sue a U.S. Border Patrol agent who entered his property without a warrant and used excessive force.

By Miriam Raftery

May 6, 2022 (San Diego) -- Today, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued a memo announcing the elimination of Border Patrol Critical Incident Teams (BPCITs), which critics have accused of repeatedly interfering with law enforcement investigations of agents involved in killing or harming community members. The memo shifts responsibility for investigating critical incidents to the Office of Professional Responsibility.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Border fence, cc by ND

Update April 23, 2022: A federal judge has temporarily blocked the lifting of Title 42 restrictions.

April 9, 2022 (San Diego) – At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, the Trump administration began expelling migrants without access to asylum hearings under Title 42.  Now, after lifting of most other pandemic mandates, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control director has announced that suspending migrants’ rights is “no longer necessary” after “considering current public health conditions and an increased availability of tools to fight COVID-19, such as highly effective vaccines and therapeutics,” the CDC announced in a statement.

By Matthew Manosh

Photos:  finalists Diego Lynch, Mimi Pollack and Bettina Hanna created films set in San Diego’s East County.

March 21, 2022 (San Diego) – Migrant stories from around the world were poignantly displayed at the San Diego Latino Film Festival on March 15, when finalists in the fourth annual Migrant Voices Today Challenge were presented. The finalists included East County producers and directors as well as stories set in East County.

By Matthew Manosh

Photo:  Actor Pepe Serna, center, with other film festival luminaries on opening night

March 14, 2022 (San Diego)-- The Latino Film Festival officially kicked off with an opening event on March 10, with several producers and directors of films present.  Among them was Luis Reyes, who directed the film Pepe Serna Life is Art, a documentary film which premiered at the festival.

East County News Service

January 29, 2022  (San Diego) – This week, 10 House and Senate committee chairs sent a letter to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) requesting an investigation into the involvement of U.S. Customs and Border Patrol’s Critical Incident Teams (CITs) along the southern border region. 

By Melissa Montalvo and Nigel Duara, CalMatters

CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters

Photo:  Protestors wave to passerbys, on Sept. 25, 2021 in Yountville, CA, as they make their way towards PlumpJack Winery, owned by Gov. Gavin Newsom, to protest the governor’s veto of bill AB 616. Photo by Rahul Lal for CalMatters

January 19, 2022 (San Diego) - When the nation’s high court effectively forbade union representatives from accessing fields and orchards to recruit workers last June, the United Farm Workers union turned to Sacramento for help. 

East County News Service

December 5, 2021 (Borrego Springs) – The Borrego Art Instituted has issued a call for artworks by artists of Latino heritage or art strongly influenced by Latino culture.

East County News Service

November 18, 2021 (Otay) – The U.S. Border Patrol reports that yesterday around 7 a.m. in a remote section of Otay Mountain, a naked man hurled rocks at an agent, striking him multiple times including in the head.  “During the confrontation, the agent discharged his firearm, but the suspect was not struck,” says Lieutenant Thomas Seiver with the Sheriff’s homicide unit, which is investigating the case. 

Deadline Nov. 14 (4:59pm) to send in comments for Nov. 16 forum

https://forms.office.com/g/nTtj9mtqpY

By: Chuck Westerheid, County of San Diego Communications Office

November 9, 2021 (San Diego County Administration Building) - The TRUTH Act community forum including a report from the Sheriff’s Department will be held November 16, 2021, during the County of San Diego Board of Supervisors’ meeting, which is open to the public.