Vanguardia with James Garcia

Our panel of activists say federal immigration authorities are running roughshod on the law, but they remain hopeful concerted efforts to push back and expose abuses can turn things around. Our guests are Zaira Garcia of Fwd.us , immigration attorney Emilia Bañuelos , and Vivian Sarafin of Living United for Change in Arizona ( LUCHA ). (20 mins.)

The Nash is enrolling for its Jazz Summer Camp at Arizona School for the Arts, a weeklong immersive jazz program for student musicians that runs from June 14-20, 2026. On our show this week to talk about the summer camp are jazz musicians and camp instructors Corcoran Holt, Clark Gibson and Ashlin Parker. The camp is open to instrumentalists and vocalists 12 and up. It offers intensive, hands-on j...

Our guests are Lydia Guzman of Chicanos Por La Causa and Danny Ortega from the CPLC Action Fund. Host James E. Garcia talks to them about CPLC's Si Se Vota campaign, and the growing importance of Arizona's Latino electorate as we approach the state's July 21 primaries and November's general election. Recent polling shows Latino voters, who are expected to play an increasingly decisive role in elec...

Our guests are Alba Jaramillo and Alida Holguín Wilson-Gunn of Teatro Dignidad. The Tucson-based theater company is presenting  ¡BOCÓN! by Lisa Loomer, a fable filled with mysticism and truth that tells the story of Miguel, a storyteller and irrepressible bocón or big mouth. Miguel loses his voice when his parents are taken by immigration authorities. He decides to embark alone to find his voice o...

"While We Wait" Directed by Anastasia Levkun Devised by the full company When full-scale war broke out in Ukraine in 2022, many Ukrainians entered a new reality. Some fled abroad, others stayed, but as the war dragged on, waiting for life to "return to normal" was no longer possible. While We Wait is a devised performance built from interviews with Ukrainians, weaving together...

Grammy Award winning trumpeter Arturo Sandoval talks to Vanguardia America host James E. Garcia about Sandoval's love of music, artistic freedom in the U.S., and the joys of performing with a full symphony. Sandoval will present his Trumpet Concerto No. 2 with the Phoenix Symphony orchestra on Nov.21-23. For tickets and details, visit the Phoenix Symphony website

At a press conference this week, Phoenix-based Transqueer Pueblo, which advocates for migrants and the LGBTQ+ community, demanded the release of ArbellaRodríguez Márquez from the ICE detention center in Eloy. Yari, as she’s known to family and friends, is a permanent U.S. resident and battlingleukemia. She’s been held in ICE custody for the past nine months. Arizona Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari c...

Vanguardia Arizona host James Garcia leads a discussion with four Arizona community leaders to talk about the life and legacy of the iconic civil rights leader Alfredo Gutierrez. Our guests include Raquel Teran of Proyecto Progreso, attorney and civil rights activist Danny Ortega, Lydia Guzman of Chicanos Por La Causa, and John Loredo, a longtime democratic strategist and now executive director of...

Our guest is Dr. Monica Villalobos, president and CEO of the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, which recently released its annual DATOS report. The report tracks the impact of Latinos on the economy in Arizona and nationwide. Monica talks to host James E. Garcia about the role social justice plays in our country's economic success. Latinos are now a $4 trillion powerhouse in the U.S. We al...

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has announced her bid for reelection. Host James E. Garcia talks to Mayes about the more than 20 lawsuits — and counting — she’s filed against the Trump administration in the past nine months, and her broader statewide agenda, including countering housing fraud and preventing elder abuse. We also get her take on federal immigration agents wearing masks when cond...

Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari talks to Vanguardia Arizona host James E. Garcia about the deteriorating conditions at U.S. immigration detention facilities , many of which are now over capacity. After being blocked by authorities, Ansari recently visited the Eloy Detention Center in Arizona to met with more than two dozen detainees about the center's overcrowded and substandard conditions. The...

Helios Education Foundation President/CEO Paul J. Luna discusses what he calls the organization's "investments" over the past 20 years aimed at ensuring "all students, including those from low-income, historically underserved communities and those forging nontraditional paths" succeed after high school. Since its founding, Helios has invested more than $350 million in a wide range of innovative ed...

Our guest is Meisei Gonzalez, Climate Justice and Clean Air Advocate for Green Latinos, a national non-profit of Latino leaders confronting environmental issues in the Latino community nationwide. Gonzalez talks with host James E. Garcia about the impact of our nation's worsening air quality on Latinos and other communities of color. To learn more about Green Latinos and its work, visit www.gr...

The 2025 Latino GDP Report finds that the gross domestic product of U.S. Hispanics has surpassed $4.1 trillion, meaning if they were their own country they would constitute the fifth largest economy in the world, larger than that of India, the United Kingdom, or France. Host James E. Garcia speaks to two of the report's authors, Dr. David Hayes-Bautista, Director of the Center for the Study of...

Our guests are onetme presidential candidate and Former HUD Secretary Julian Castro and Vanessa Fuentes, Mayor Pro Tem of Ausin, Texas. Host James E. Garcia spoke to them on June 14 as millions took to the streets nationwide as part of massive No Kings Day marches and rallies against the policies of President Trump, including his decision to send National Guard troops and Marines to help quell pro...

Host James E. Garcia talks with Cristina Jiménez, author of the new book, "Dreaming of Home: How We Turn Fear into Pride, Power, and Real Change." (Jiménez is on a national book tour. ) Published by St. Martin’s Press, the book is about a young woman a coming-of-age story and finding her true self and mission in life amid a social movement of immigrant youth trailblazers who inspired the world and...

Our guest is Emmy Award winning filmmaker Paul Espinosa . Host James E. Garcia spoke to Paul about his extensive career, life on the U.S.-Mexico border, and a recent major screening of his work at the Filmoteca Española in Madrid, Spain. Paul  is an anthropologist who has worked at the intersection of social justice, media culture and Latino history for more than 40 years. Espinosa Productions spe...

Welcome to Vanguardia America. In this episode, host James E. Garcia speaks with Award Winning Chef Silvana Salcido Esparza, the former owner of the iconic Barrio Café in Phoenix, which she operated for more than 20 years.  Chef Esparza came on the show to talk about her new memoir, La Hija de La Chingada, Chronicles from a Mexican Chef in the USA. The book covers her journey not just as a chef bu...

Manuel Ramos is the author of the recently re-released crime fiction novels, The Ballad of Rocky Ruiz, The Last Client of Luis Móntez , Blues for the Buffalo and many other works published by Arte Publico Press. In this episode, host James Garcia talks to Ramos about his craft, his love for crime fiction, and a deal with Warner Bros. Television—which has optioned the rights to produce a TV series...

In this episode, host James E. Garcia welcomes singer and recording artist Isabel Marie Sanchez, who'll be performing in the Phoenix Pops Symphony presentation of "The Music of Selena," April 5 and 6, 2025, at the Orpheum Theater. Sanchez was the 2017 Tejano Music Awards Best New Female Artist and a 2022 Latin Grammy nominated artist. She's joined for today's interview by Chr...

Vanguardia America host James Garcia speaks with Mona Alvarado Frazier, author of “ A Bridge Home ,” a young adult novel published by Arte Público Press. This is her second book. Jacqui Bravo is a 17-year-old Chicana striving to earn a scholarship to attend UCLA after the loss of her father in the Vietnam War. The American Library Association wrote: "Many of the issues Jacqui is experiencing...

Vanguardia America talks to Averi Gutierrez, marketing director at Ballet Arizona, about the dance company's premiere in the U.S. of "Frida" from Feb. 13-16 at Phoenix Symphony Hall. The production was by Belgian-Colombian choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, a prolific, award-winning, and sought-afterartist who has created more than 100 works for 80 dance companies worldwide. For mo...

Born and raised in Arizona, Sonora Reyes is the author of contemporary Young Adult novels The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School and The Luis Ortega Survival uClub, and the just released Adult Romance novel The Broposal. They also have contributed short stories to the anthologies Transmogrify! and For the Rest of Us.

Dr. Nicolas Kanellos, founder and director of Arte Público Press, was recently awarded the prestigious National Humanities Medal by President Joe Biden. Since 1979, Arte Público has been publishig Latino literature, including fiction, nonfiction, poetry and an wide array of children’s books and books for young adults. The award was presented at a White House ceremony on Oct. 21, 2024, where Dr. Ka...

Rafael Collazo and Joe Garcia join host James E. Garcia for a free-flowing discussion about Latino voters and the outcome of the 2024 presidential election. Collazo is executive director of ⁠⁠UnidosUS Action Fund⁠⁠ and Garcia is executive director of the ⁠⁠CPLC Action Fund⁠⁠ . (Both organizations are affiliated with UnidosUS.) For background information related to this episode, check out the ⁠Hisp...