Adelante

[logo sonoro] [msica dinmica] PATRICIA GMEZ: Hoy en Adelante, importantes conversaciones.

Greisa Martnez Rosas de United We Dream sobre la justicia inmigratoria.

Luis No-Bustamante del Pew Research Center analizando la opinin latina sobre Donald Trump.

La activista Kayla Kuo de Milwaukee Anti-war sobre el activismo por la paz.

Acompanos.

[logo sonoro] PATRICIA GMEZ: De vuelta en Adelante nos acompaa Greisa Martnez Rosas, directora ejecutiva de United We Dream.

La red de jvenes inmigrantes ms grande del pas representando a ms de un milln de jvenes.

Una lder visionaria, beneficiaria de DACA y defensora incansable de la dignidad y la justicia.

[nature sounds-music] GREISA MARTNEZ ROSAS: My name is Greisa Martnez Rosas.

I'm the daughter of Luis and Elia Martnez.

My mother and my grandfather were both leaders in the church.

I am from the Otomi people of the Central Valley of Mexico.

When I was seven years old, my family and I made the journey to the U.S.

from Hidalgo, Mexico.

My mother and my father made the difficult and courageous decision to make a new life for their families and their four little girls here.

We decided to...The only way that we could come here was through crossing the Rio Grande waters.

And I remember how cold the water was.

Sometimes I still feel the cold in my skin.

I remember almost losing my mother to the current of the Rio Grande.

I just also remember making it to the other side and being so grateful that my parents had been courageous and had brought us here.

We grew up in Dallas, Texas.

And in that same tightness that we had to hold each other as we moved through the waters of the Rio Grande Valley, we remained tight in that way and made a life here in the U.S.

I remember being like in elementary school and feeling really scared about being found out for being undocumented.

That fear almost ate me up and almost made me feel like I didn't belong here, that we had done something wrong, that I should just keep my head bowed and not ask many questions and just be grateful for it.

But in my late teens, when I was a senior in high school and I saw the passage of the Sensenbrenner Bill and the bill in itself would say that people like my mother and father who had given up so much who woke up every morning to build our family would be treated as criminals.

And not only that, the people that would choose to help us would also be criminalized.

And I just couldn't take it.

I couldn't take the idea of that.

And so when I was a senior in high school, my friends and I organized a high school walkout, much like the walkouts that we're seeing in North Carolina, today in LA and Chicago, I felt unstoppable by then that I had a voice that I should shout from the rooftops.

Unfortunately, my life has been dotted by very daunting challenges in life.

When I was a sophomore and in college, my dad was detained and summarily deported after just a couple of days.

We did not have the legal support that we needed or the legal help.

We didn't have money enough to pay that feeling of being a teenager and feeling so helpless that and the inspiration and the guidance from the members of United We Dream that led us to this year to launch the Defending Our Neighbors Fund to ensure that people in the U.S.

had access to due process and to a lawyer.

And this fund in partnership with the American Civil Liberties Union and the Abundant Futures Fund has raised now $12.8 million towards legal defense of immigrants, just like my dad.

That story is part of the reason why I believe in youth organizing and why I believe in the power of young people to transform.

I'm not special.

What I have inside of me is what's inside of everyone, every young person, every immigrant child.

But I was really lucky to be able to have opportunities to channel that strength and those gifts.

And part of my work at United We Dream is to do that for many, many other young people.

PATRICIA GMEZ: You started from the bottom.

Tell us about that part of your life.

GREISA MARTNEZ ROSAS: United We Dream has been a home for me and many others to be able to grow, to grow our skills, to grow our spirit, to grow our power, our voice.

When I first entered the organization, I was a member, someone that was part of the big 2010 mobilizations to Washington, D.C.

in fighting for the DREAM Act.

It's the same places where that Sensenbrenner Bill took place.

I was there calling on members of Congress to pass the DREAM Act.

Unfortunately, fail in the Senate now have the great responsibility to be what I call a good ancestor, a good big sister to the young people that are now in high school and in college just like I was in that time.

Support them and their leadership of changing the conditions of this country for the better.

PATRICIA GMEZ: What would you say are the most important challenges right now for United We Dream?

GREISA MARTNEZ ROSAS: Well, there has never been a more important time to be a young leader.

There has never been a more important time to be an advocate for the rights of working people.

And there has never been a more important time to be a proud immigrant than this time.

It's also the darkest time in our history.

We are seeing in this moment young people, children of seven years old, just like I was when I crossed the border, having to defend themselves in front of an immigration judge without any legal support or any parents with them.

We are seeing the disappearances of our loved ones every day while they're going to work only because of the color of their skin, because they look Latino, because they speak Spanish, because they look Asian, because they look Southeast Asian.

It is challenging and horrifying time that unfortunately I think history will look upon with a lot of shame for the people that are making these decisions.

But history will also tell the stories of the young people of United We Dream that are organizing in their communities and hosting.

It is also the story of the young people that got their soccer teammate out of detention because they made the calls and they organized.

This moment, what's most important for United We Dream is two things.

One is to bring together this new generation of leaders that are rising up all across the country.

And two, to remind each other that even though it's immigrants that are at the center of the fight right now, everything that's happening to our communities is about our collective future.

We have a shared future, whether you're undocumented or not, whether you're an immigrant or not.

If you're someone that's a working person here in this country, this is a horrifying moment and you're not alone.

Many of us are horrified by what's happening in our communities, in our neighborhoods, by how immigrants are being hunted, literally hunted in every single street in this country, followed into childcare centers and ICE agents covered their faces and detaining people.

But what is exciting about the Defending Our Futures Fund is that millions of Americans are taking an action together and saying, Not my neighbor, not this moment, not today, not ever.

PATRICIA GMEZ: Greisa, what will you tell to those who want these deportation actions to continue?

GREISA MARTNEZ ROSAS: More people like me to be detained and deported to the people that continue to support that agenda of hate, I will say, I love you...Ahh...This is my country, this is your country.

We have an opportunity to make this better.

To the kids that are being separated from their parents and those that are harmed, that every day wake up feeling afraid about what's gonna happen to them, I will say, You're not alone, we're fighting for you.

To those people that are standing up and organizing in this moment, I say, Thank you, and we're gonna win.

It is always a small group of people that are standing up for each other to not lose hope, to take the rest that you need in this moment, let's rest up and then come back, because this is our country, whether I am inside of its borders or outside of it.

For the Latinos, los mexicanos, venezolanos, colombianos, whatever part of Latin America you're from, I wanna remind you that we have something inside of us that no one can take away, which is our love for one another, our culture, our delicious food, that there is power in being Latino in this country.

Benito or Bad Bunny reminds us to take many more photos and remember the good times that we'll have with our families now, and to not give up and give into the fear.

My name is Greisa Martnez Rosas.

I am undocumented, unafraid, queer and unashamed.

"We have come too far.

We will not turn around.

We will flood the streets with justice because we are freedom bound".

Those are the words of a black poet, June Jordan, and they ring true today.

Power!

Transformations!

Miracles!

I want it!

I need it!

I got to hug it!

I got to hug it!

I got to hug it!

[music] PATRICIA GMEZ: Datos cruciales para el panorama electoral.

Nos acompaa Luis No-Bustamante, investigador asociado del Pew Research Center, para desglosar su reciente informe sobre la opinin de la comunidad latina respecto al presidente Donald Trump.

[msica] LUIS NO-BUSTAMANTE: Nosotros tratamos de abarcar ampliamente cmo va la situacin de los latinos en el pas.

Al mismo tiempo quisimos preguntarles cmo evaluaban el primer ao de la nueva administracin del presidente Trump y dos puntos que fueron claves antes de la eleccin del ao pasado y continan siendo temas muy importantes tanto para los latinos como para la poblacin de Estados Unidos ms ampliamente que son la economa y la situacin financiera de los latinos y sus experiencias con las polticas de migracin en el pas.

PATRICIA GMEZ: Encontramos un declive en la aceptacin del presidente Trump entre la comunidad latina en general.

Pudieras t hablarnos de este resultado de la encuesta?

LUIS NO-BUSTAMANTE: S, nuestra encuesta de octubre encontr que la aprobacin del presidente Trump ha disminuido en relacin a sus primeras semanas desde que asumi su segundo trmino y eso incluye una leve disminucin en la aprobacin dentro de los latinos que votaron por l.

Un estudio reciente tambin llevado a cabo en el Pew Research Center, nosotros encontramos que ms o menos la mitad de los votantes latinos votaron por el presidente Trump y l goza de un apoyo fuerte entre ellos an, pero s hemos visto que esa aprobacin ha disminuido el transcurso del ao.

Otro hallazgo importante en nuestro reporte es que la mayora de los latinos dicen que la situacin actual de ellos como grupo est peor este ao en relacin al ao anterior.

Esta es una pregunta que hemos hecho casi por dos dcadas y es la primera vez que encontramos que una mayora de los latinos adultos en el pas dicen que la situacin est peor.

En cuanto al futuro tendremos que ver esta evaluacin negativa y que se ha vuelto un poco ms crtica el transcurso del ao, que tanto impacto eso tiene en las elecciones del... Congresional del 2026.

PATRICIA GMEZ: Uno de los asuntos que ms escuchaba por parte de los latinos que apoyaban a Trump es que l iba a elevar las condiciones de la economa en este pas.

Cmo encuentra esta encuesta, este contraste en este momento?

LUIS NO-BUSTAMANTE: Una de nuestras preguntas puntuales fue, en nuestra encuesta de octubre, fue si las condiciones haban mejorado o empeorado desde que el presidente Trump asumi su segundo trmino y encontramos que seis de cada diez latinos dicen que las condiciones han empeorado y slo un 15% dice que las condiciones han mejorado desde que la asumi la presidencia.

PATRICIA GMEZ: Otro aspecto importante Lus es el aspecto de la inmigracin.

Qu resultados, que nos podas decir t respecto de las respuestas a esta otra lnea?

LUIS NO-BUSTAMANTE: Ampliamente encontramos que siete de cada diez latinos desaprueban la forma como la administracin de Donald Trump est llevando a cabo sus polticas de migracin.

Al mismo tiempo la mayora de los latinos dicen que la forma en cmo se estn llevando a cabo las deportaciones en el pas es demasiado fuerte y el porcentaje que dice que el gobierno est siendo demasiado en cuanto a la forma que est llevando a cabo las deportaciones incluso ha aumentado comparado a las primeras semanas de este segundo trmino del presidente Trump.

PATRICIA GMEZ: Por qu es importante hablar y enfocarse en la polarizacin que en un momento se dio o que en este momento existe entre el grupo que vot en algn momento por Trump y el grupo que vot en un momento por Harris?

LUIS NO-BUSTAMANTE: La mitad de los latinos votaron, aproximadamente votaron por el presidente Trump la otra mitad votaron por la exvicepresidenta Harris.

Esto es un cambio en relacin a elecciones anteriores donde el candidato del partido demcrata consistentemente en las ltimas elecciones haba ganado la mayora del voto latino y hemos visto cmo con la figura de Donald Trump como candidato el apoyo de los votantes latinos fue incrementando en sus tres participaciones electorales llegando a este punto alto para l donde los latinos se dividieron en cuanto a su voto.

Si lo comparamos con su primer periodo podemos ver que nos estamos acercando a los niveles de aprobacin que tena en esos primeros cuatro aos donde su aprobacin lleg alrededor del 20%.

PATRICIA GMEZ: Cmo se podan prolongar las tendencias de esta informacin que ustedes estn obteniendo ahorita, siendo los latinos un grupo clave para la eleccin de los diferentes partidos que van a ser determinantes al final de esta administracin?

LUIS NO-BUSTAMANTE: Eso est an por verse dependiendo de las condiciones en el pas y dependiendo de cmo condiciones econmicas especialmente cambian o no cambian.

Previo a la eleccin del 2024 este era el tema principal para los latinos en cuanto a su voto que an mantienen una perspectiva muy negativa acerca de las condiciones actualmente y que muchos latinos estn teniendo dificultades pagando servicios o cosas esenciales.

Dependiendo de cmo se puedan ajustar esas condiciones y el desempeo del gobierno podra tener un impacto en el voto de los latinos en un grado mayor o menor al partido republicano o si muchos apoyan al partido demcrata como una alternativa hacia el futuro.

PATRICIA GMEZ: Cules son los hallazgos ms importantes que t consideras que la comunidad en general y especialmente los latinos debemos de estar alertas?

LUIS NO-BUSTAMANTE: Si hay un pesimismo creciente entre los latinos en general sobre su situacin como grupo, la direccin del pas y sobre la administracin de Donald Trump, que hay mayores grados de preocupacin sobre el tema migratorio y sobre las deportaciones en particular, si resaltara que los latinos mantienen algn grado de optimismo hacia el futuro.

Por ejemplo, la mitad dice que su situacin financiera el prximo ao va a estar mejor que este ao.

Obviamente es una proyeccin pero denota algn grado de optimismo.

Dentro de nuestros planes y metas s queremos continuar estudiando a esta creciente poblacin y monitorear cmo sus perspectivas y opiniones acerca del pas, de la administracin actual y de otros temas se desarrolla en el nuevo ao en el 2026.

[msica] PATRICIA GMEZ: Cambiamos el foco a activismo de base por la paz.

Kayla Kuo, activista de Milwaukee Anti-war, nos habla sobre sus esfuerzos locales de protesta, la educacin comunitaria y el papel de los jvenes en la construccin de un movimiento pacifista.

[music] KAYLA KUO: The Milwaukee Anti-War Committee, we are a grassroots organization that was founded in November of 2022 and the goal of the Milwaukee Anti-War Committee is really to fight US militarization and war abroad, but also the violence that we're facing here in the US as well.

For example, we have, or we are experiencing really expensive groceries.

We know that health care is an issue, education, housing too, and yet even while people are suffering and are struggling, our government is continuing to funnel millions of dollars to attack other countries.

And so the goal of the Milwaukee Anti-War Committee is to educate people on, you know, why it's important to fight back from here in the US because we even suffer at the expense of the war machine, not just communities abroad.

PATRICIA GMEZ: What about who is a part of your organization?

KAYLA KUO: We don't really have too many students, a lot of the students that we do work with though are part of Students for a Democratic Society at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

In terms of, you know, the composition of MAC members, a lot of us are working-class people that have full-time jobs and are doing this, you know, on the side because it's something that we believe in and we care about and really just like how important it is for community to stand together, whether it's to stand up for student rights, for immigrant rights, for reproductive justice.

It's really important that we're able to unite and fight back.

PATRICIA GMEZ: In the United States, people think that this capture of the President of Venezuela is an act of abuse of power.

It is an invasion and it is totally out of the international laws.

Some others oppose to that.

What is the position that Milwaukee Anti-war in this United States-Venezuela situation?

KAYLA KUO: Within the Milwaukee Anti-War Committee, we know that it is illegal to kidnap a sitting president and so our call has been to release President Maduro.

Whether or not people, you know, in Venezuela like him, it should not be the US that is intervening in that country.

And really in response to the escalations against Venezuela and the military aggression that we have seen, the Milwaukee Anti-War Committee launched a campaign for the month of January called No War on Venezuela, which was a month of direct actions, specifically no US intervention in Venezuela and really for the US to get its hands out of the entire Latin American region.

PATRICIA GMEZ: Where do you see the situation in Venezuela going from the point of view of your organization?

KAYLA KUO: You know, I can't really predict what we're going to see.

We know that Trump has claimed that he wants to control Venezuela and so at least for the Milwaukee Anti-War Committee, we're going to continue to fight back so that, you know, Venezuela has its right to self-determination and to sovereignty and it can figure out, you know, how it wants to use its vast wealth of oil resources.

And that's not something that the US should ever decide.

And so no matter what, I think we will still continue to protest as long as the US is intervening in Venezuela.

We will be there protesting for the US to get out and out of Latin America more broadly.

PATRICIA GMEZ: Kayla, one of the tools that your organization uses is to put pressure on representatives.

What are you doing regarding this issue with Venezuela?

KAYLA KUO: When we were launching our No War on Venezuela month of action, Representative Ryan Clancy was there.

So, you know, we're working with representatives when we can, but we also know that direct action and pressure on the government is, you know, going to be most effective.

And so we're ready to, you know, escalate where needed if, you know, our voices aren't being heard.

PATRICIA GMEZ: And do you think people in Wisconsin are getting involved and are making their voices to be heard in front of our political representatives?

KAYLA KUO: Over the past year, I have seen way more people get mobilized and want to take action, which I think is so important.

I think we're seeing a lot more people come out, whether they're, you know, students that are protesting for the first time and walking out of the classrooms or, you know, even older folks that haven't protested ever before or in a while.

And so I think it's really important for everyone to figure out, you know, how they can get involved.

We can do a lot more when we're working together.

And I think that's where a lot of the people power comes from.

PATRICIA GMEZ: In the history, students, very strong forces on creating change.

Do you think we are moving towards that or are we, at this moment, of history, separated?

KAYLA KUO: I don't think that we're separated.

I think across the globe, they were kind of the ones that were lighting a fire across the country for people to fight for Palestine and to divest from Israel and for the U.S.

specifically to stop channeling weapons, fighter jets, and essentially like any sort of defense contracts that were going towards Israel and against the Palestinian people.

And I think that was just a very clear moment that students are uniting people.

They brought together so many different individual community members and organizations to essentially be on Palestine law and at UWM.

And so their encampment, at least here in Milwaukee, lasted for 14 days, which is pretty significant and historic.

And I think without the students, not to say that they wouldn't have been that same sort of pressure, but I think that they were the ones that were leading that change.

And so in terms of the future, I continue to look towards students and towards young people and their fierce determination and their commitment to not wait for the world to get better over time, but really to use their voices and to get organized to fight back.

[msica] PATRICIA GMEZ: Y con un hasta pronto nos despedimos invitndolos a que nos dejen saber sus comentarios por el telfono 414-297-7544 o a que visite nuestro sitio web en milwaukeepbs.org y en nuestras redes sociales.

Soy Patricia Gmez, desendoles paz y bendiciones.

[msica]