Latino USA

“Our government has failed us in many ways.”  A year has passed since the fires in Los Angeles devastated Altadena, CA. Who gets to rebuild? Who stays and who leaves?  We begin by checking back in with Sal Saucedo, a hairdresser who spoke to us after his home became rubble. He has since planted new roots by opening a hair salon in Mexico City.  Then we delve deeper into...

Minnesotans say ICE agents and other federal officers have been terrorizing residents as part of “Operation Metro Surge” for nearly a month. And as ICE’s enforcement becomes more militarized and their numbers grow, so does the network of resistance created by everyday citizens.  We speak to a local grassroots organizer and a journalist about the latest on the ground, the sup...

When Journalist Zayda Rivera decided to become a witch, people in her life thought it was a joke–many did not take her seriously. Still, Zayda was confident in her choice to follow the ancient practice of brujería.  Last year, Zayda published her debut children's book, Being Bruja: A Young Mystics Guide and its Spanish version, Vivir Bruja. This Brujería 101-guide provides...

“Suddenly, a memory assaulted me: For my own journey from Cuba four decades earlier, I had worn the red polyester bell-bottom pants my mother had made.” Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Mirta Ojito joins us to talk about the inspiration behind her new novel, Deeper Than the Ocean . Mirta reflects on the real shipwreck that sparked the idea for her novel, her own immigration story of l...

Born in El Salvador, Julio Torres has become a big name in comedy. From writing for SNL and having an HBO comedy special, to making and starring in his own films, Julio's dry style is unique: it’s highly visual and deeply inquisitive, and at Latino USA we love it! In this reimagined interview from a couple years ago, Julito spoke to us about developing his own comedic approach, his journey i...

The capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro marks yet another chapter in a long history of U.S. interventionism across Latin America. We talk to an expert on democracy to make sense of the incursion, how it could destabilize the entire rules-based international order, and why Americans should be concerned about the rise of an “unconstrained and autocratic” Trump. Plus, we...

One in four women in the United States has a family member in prison — and those carrying the resulting financial and emotional burden are disproportionately women of color. Mary Estrada is one of them. She’s been taking care of her husband, Robert, for 40 years, as he’s been in and out of prison throughout his adult life. Most Sundays, Mary wakes up at 3 a.m. and drives 135 mile...

As you start the New Year, we wanted to bring you an episode from our friends at Vox’s podcast Unexplainable that we think you’ll like. It’s about a scientific mystery and with a Puerto Rican astronomer at the center of it all. Wanda Diáz-Merced lost her sight as a college student, she thought her dreams of becoming an astronomer were over — until she learned to list...

Earlier this week we brought you an episode from “My Divo” which we think you’ll enjoy as you slow down this holiday season. This is Ep. 3: “The Long-Lost Prison File” In it, host Maria Garcia looks for answers about Juan Gabriel in Mexico and discovers government files about the artist that have never come to light. As Maria learns more about Juan Gabriel’s sto...

As you enjoy time during this holiday slowdown, we want to share an episode of the “My Divo” podcast. In this episode we hear how for host Maria Garcia, Mexican megastar Juan Gabriel has always held a singular allure. He was a prolific composer and one of the world’s greatest showmen. There was a brightness to him—a big queer exuberance. And now, as the first openly gay wom...

Ada Limón ended her tenure as U.S. Poet Laureate this year – the first Latina to do so. Her work has been described as both tender and resounding, it rejoices in the simplicity of everyday life. She’s been praised for tackling head-on the imperfections of her body and the failings of our governments. But even in the darkness, her poetry does not linger in despair – it alwa...

Journalist Tom Llamas made history this year when he became the first Latino to anchor a major weekday evening news show in English. Every weekday, around six million viewers across the country tune in to NBC Nightly News to watch Tom give the latest national and international news.  He’s been in broadcast journalism for more than 25 years. He joined Maria Hinojosa to talk about how his...

D. Esperanza is 14 years old. After traveling with his cousins from Honduras, he is held in the horrors of U.S. detention in Texas. For five months, while there, D. kept a journal of poems, drawings. It’s his memory of survival. Months later, Geraldo Iván Morales found the journal, about to be trashed. Now, D. and Gerardo are coauthors of "Detained," a book based on D.’s journal...

Earlier this year, the White House falsely claimed that millions of US taxpayers' dollars were funding “sex changes” in Guatemala — a lie used to justify gutting USAID, which has provided aid worldwide for more than 60 years. In this episode, we travel to Guatemala to uncover the truth, hear from local organizations caught in the controversy, and learn how losing USAID funding ha...

This week, Latino USA shares an episode from our friends at LAist’s Imperfect Paradise about a new set of citizenship test guidelines. Recently, the federal government pushed out new guidelines for naturalization, changes that are reshaping what it means to become a U.S. American. LAist Higher Education Reporter Julia Barajas takes us inside a citizenship prep class at Pasadena City College...

In a rural town in south Georgia, sits “El Refugio,” a charming white home with green shutters. For 15 years, thousands have walked through its doors during the hardest moments of their lives. The house serves as a refuge for families of immigrants detained just two miles away at one of the largest immigration detention centers in the U.S..  In recent months, the visits to El Refu...

It’s been quite the year, for the United States and for Futuro Media. At Latino USA, we’re bringing you in-depth reporting from the front lines. At Futuro Studios, we’re developing ground-breaking shows like La Brega Season 3, which is set to premiere early next year. In this special Giving Tuesday episode, Futuro Media founder Maria Hinojosa reflects on the year behind and the y...

For some years now, mezcal, Mexico’s other national spirit, has been in a cultural spotlight in and out of Mexico—especially here in the U.S. But the unseen devastating consequences of that demand have had a profound impact on the people making it. In this episode of Latino USA, we take a journey to Oaxaca to understand the ancestral connections to mezcal, how the spirit is made, and h...

Adelita Grijalva, the first Latina –and first Chicana– to represent Arizona in Congress was sworn into office… finally. She was the deciding vote pushing for the release of the Epstein files. The Tucson native was an outspoken leader on a school board and longtime civil servant before winning a special election to fill her late father’s seat, Raul Grijalva. She says her pr...

In this episode, Latino USA’s “Selena expert” Maria Garcia sits down with Selena Quintanilla’s sister, Suzette and filmmaker Isabel Castro, to talk about the new Netflix documentary, Selena y Los Dinos: A Family’s Legacy. Suzette opens up about choosing to share the intimate home videos that shaped the film, while Isabel reflects on her artistic vision that brought th...

Nathy Peluso is an Argentinean-born singer, rapper and poet and she’s looking to chart new territory on who gets to choose how women behave. She grew up in Spain where she learned to express herself through poetry. The rhythm of the language quickly gave way to rap and her debut album, ‘ Calambre .’ Most recently she worked with Tokischa and with the one-and-only Gloria Estefan....

Actor Raúl Castillo joins us at the kitchen table. Literally. He goes to Latino USA host Maria Hinojosa’s home to share chips and homemade guacamole. Since his last visit on the show five years ago, a lot has changed for Raúl. He’s  gotten married, filmed one of the darkest scenes of his career on HBO’s Task , and will soon join the cast of The Walking Dead . B...

It’s been a year since Donald Trump won the elections. And last week, voters elected candidates that are far from what Trump represents. Democrats made history in New York City, and they won big in places like Virginia, California, and New Jersey—and Latinos and Latinas, as usual, played a big role. But these victories don’t necessarily mean Democrats are poised to sweep in futur...

There is a mysticism that covers Latin America. Stories of monsters, spirits, and tales of dark family secrets. Sure, it sounds like a telenovela, but literature calls it Gothic: tales that frighten and force us to confront our fears.    Now, Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro has reimagined the classic gothic story “Frankenstein . ” But this time with a Latin American...

Orgullosa and her daughter, Estrella, began to rebuild their lives after they were separated in the U.S.-Mexico border under the first Trump administration in 2018. Seven years later, Trump was re-elected, and their story took a downward spiral. They were “unlawfully deported” back to Honduras, despite having legal protection to be in the U.S. In this episode, we hear from Orgullosa ab...