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Mario Vargas Llosa, Giant of Latin American and World Literature, Dies

The Nobel Prize-winning Peruvian author leaves behind a legacy of unforgettable works that shaped the history of Latin American thought and narrative.

by the El Reportero team

Mario Vargas Llosa, one of the greatest Spanish-language writers, died on April 13, 2025, at the age of 89 in Lima, Peru.

His death closes a golden era of Latin American literature. Author of iconic novels such as The City and the Dogs, Conversation in the Cathedral, and The Feast of the Goat, Vargas Llosa received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2010, crowning a brilliant career.

With his death, a brilliant chapter in world literature closes. Author of iconic novels such as The City and the Dogs, Conversation in the Cathedral, The Green House, and The Feast of the Goat, Vargas Llosa captured, with a sharp and committed pen, the political, moral, and social conflicts of Latin America. In 2010, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, crowning a career marked by literary excellence and ideological controversy.

From Arequipa to the world

Jorge Mario Pedro Vargas Llosa was born in Arequipa, Peru, on March 28, 1936. His childhood was marked by the separation of his parents and a restless youth that took him to Cochabamba (Bolivia), Lima, and Piura. He studied Literature and Law at the National University of San Marcos, and later completed a doctorate at the Complutense University of Madrid.

He felt a calling to write very early. He published his first book, The Bosses, in 1959, which earned him the Leopoldo Alas Prize. But it was with The City and the Dogs (1963) that he burst onto the international scene. This novel, set in a Lima military school, scandalized conservative sectors of Peru but opened the door to global recognition.

A committed and fierce work

Vargas Llosa’s fiction is marked by a complex structure, a critical view of power, and a profound exploration of the human soul. Works such as The Green House (1966) and Conversation in the Cathedral (1969) consolidated his reputation as a masterful storyteller. These novels display an experimental style, influenced by William Faulkner and European tradition, but with an authentically Latin American voice.

In the 1980s and 1990s, his literary output became more diverse in tone and subject matter. Highlights include The War at the End of the World (1981), inspired by an episode in nineteenth-century Brazil, and The Feast of the Goat (2000), about Rafael Leónidas Trujillo’s dictatorship in the Dominican Republic, one of his most widely read and acclaimed novels.

Throughout his career, he also dabbled in essays, journalism, and cultural criticism. He was a passionate defender of liberal democracy and a critic of authoritarianism, which led him to break with his former leftist colleagues. This ideological shift was also expressed in his political life, when he unsuccessfully ran for the presidency of Peru in 1990 against Alberto Fujimori.

A long-awaited Nobel Prize

When he received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2010, the Swedish Academy praised his “cartography of power structures and steely images of resistance, rebellion, and the defeat of the individual.” Vargas Llosa celebrated with a moving speech entitled “In Praise of Reading and Fiction,” in which he reaffirmed his faith in the power of words to understand and change the world.

The Nobel Prize recognized not only his narrative work, but also his commitment to freedom of thought, the Spanish language, and the role of literature as a critical conscience of society.

Between literature and controversy

Despite his unquestionable literary talent, Vargas Llosa was a figure who did not shy away from conflict. His political stances and criticisms of leftist regimes like those of Cuba and Venezuela earned him enemies, while his closeness to liberal sectors and his defense of the market generated intense debate. Even in his later years, he maintained an active presence in the media, opining on international politics, feminism, and the future of Latin America.

On a personal level, his life was also exposed to the public eye. His romantic relationship with Isabel Preysler, his separation from Patricia Llosa—with whom he had three children—and his presence in the tabloid press contrasted with the figure of the classic intellectual. However, he always returned to writing as a refuge and reason for existence.

An immortal legacy

Mario Vargas Llosa leaves behind a legacy of more than 20 novels, dozens of essays, plays, chronicles, and newspaper columns. His influence is unquestionable among generations of writers and readers, not only for his technical mastery but for his defense of free thought and the plurality of ideas.

Today, the world bids farewell to a writer who not only narrated Latin American history with rawness and beauty, but also helped shape it. His voice will live on in his books, in libraries, and in the consciences of those who understand that literature is also a form of resistance.

He is survived by his three children: Álvaro Vargas Llosa, Gonzalo Vargas Llosa, and Morgana Vargas Llosa. He is also survived by his ex-wife, Patricia Llosa Urquidi.

Mario Vargas Llosa will not be buried, as his last wish was that his remains be cremated. The cremation took place at the Chorrillos Army Funeral and Crematorium Center in Lima.

Rest in peace, Maestro Vargas Llosa.

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Legalization hints spark cautious hope among undocumented workers

by Marvin Ramírez

Much has been said about mass deportations under the Trump administration, and the fear they generate continues to ripple through immigrant communities like mine in San Francisco’s Mission District. Streets once bustling with workers and shoppers now carry an edge of anxiety. Many of the small and mid-sized businesses that anchor this neighborhood rely on undocumented labor. It’s no secret. And sometimes I think: if a mass deportation effort were truly imminent, wouldn’t the Mission be one of the first places targeted? But so far, we haven’t seen mass arrests.

That doesn’t mean people aren’t afraid. Especially those who arrived under humanitarian parole. Every knock on the door or police presence in the area can feel like a threat. Yet amid the rumors and raids, a glimmer of something different has emerged: a surprising shift in tone from President Trump himself.

At an April 10 Cabinet meeting, Trump floated an idea that seemed to contradict his hardline immigration stance. He suggested that undocumented workers—particularly those in farming and hotel jobs—could be allowed to leave the U.S. voluntarily and return legally, provided their employers vouch for them. “A farmer will come in with a letter concerning certain people, saying they’re great, they’re working hard… they’re going to come back as legal workers,” he said.

It’s unclear what “go out in a nice way” or “slow it down a little bit” means in practice. But the comments echo something immigrant advocates have pushed for years: a path to legal status for the people already here, already working, already contributing.

There’s precedent for this. The U.S. already has two visa programs—the H-2A for agricultural workers and the H-2B for seasonal non-agricultural jobs in industries like hospitality. These are imperfect programs, often criticized for being cumbersome and for failing to protect workers. But they’re legal pathways. And Trump, whose businesses have used the H-2B program, now seems to be considering expanding or modifying them as part of his immigration strategy.

This shift in tone may be aimed at appeasing economic stakeholders. The agricultural sector depends heavily on undocumented workers—about 40 percent of U.S. crop farmworkers are undocumented, according to the Agriculture Department. And in 2023, over 1.1 million undocumented people worked in hospitality—nearly 8 percent of that industry’s workforce. It’s hard to deport that kind of labor force without severe economic consequences.

Yet the offer feels conditional. Trump made it clear that those who don’t “go out” under his terms could face permanent exclusion. A 60-day window was mentioned, though it’s not clear when that clock would start ticking. And it’s equally uncertain how many employers would risk drawing attention to undocumented staff by vouching for them—especially in an atmosphere still charged with enforcement.

Here in the Mission, there’s no shortage of hardworking people who would gladly pursue legal status if given the chance. Many have been in the U.S. for decades. They’ve raised children, paid taxes, and supported local economies—often while enduring wage theft, poor housing, and the constant fear of being torn from their families. If “longtime” undocumented residents are to be included in this new idea, it would be a monumental shift. But that remains a big “if.”

Despite the vague promises, this development marks an opening. And for those of us living side by side with undocumented neighbors, co-workers, and family, it’s an opening worth watching. It’s not legalization yet. It’s not even a formal policy. But it’s a conversation that shifts the narrative—from “deport them all” to “some people deserve a path.”

Many immigrant advocates remain skeptical. After all, this administration has consistently emphasized border enforcement and deportation. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem recently supported a policy requiring undocumented people to register with DHS or face criminal charges—a policy that just got the green light from a federal judge.

But when the president who once promised “the largest deportation effort in history” begins to entertain the idea of welcoming back “great” undocumented workers as legal ones, something is shifting. Whether that shift becomes a doorway to opportunity or a trap cloaked in false hope will depend on how the details unfold.

For now, many in the Mission are holding their breath—caught between fear and fragile hope.

NBC News’s Suzanne Gamboa reports contributed to this article.

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You can reverse diabetes: The truth big pharma won’t tell you

by Marvin Ramirez and news services

Diabetes is a serious and growing epidemic affecting millions of people, especially in Latino and Black communities across the United States. It is commonly believed that once diagnosed, diabetes—particularly type 2—is a lifelong condition requiring insulin injections and expensive medications for life. But what many don’t know is that type 2 diabetes can often be reversed through natural, safe, and affordable lifestyle changes—especially diet.

More and more independent doctors, nutritionists, and health coaches are speaking up, showing that the body has the ability to heal itself when given the right conditions. Unfortunately, this truth is often ignored by the pharmaceutical industry and parts of the healthcare system that profit from keeping patients dependent on insulin and other medications.

The truth is simple: Type 2 diabetes is primarily caused by long-term insulin resistance, triggered by poor eating habits, excess sugar, refined carbohydrates, processed foods, and sedentary lifestyles. Over time, the body stops responding to insulin effectively, leading to high blood sugar levels. But the same way this condition is developed—through unhealthy food—it can often be reversed with real, whole foods that help the body restore its natural balance.

What the food industry won’t tell you is this: They are filling grocery store shelves with ultra-processed foods packed with sugar, trans fats, artificial ingredients, and refined grains that cause inflammation, spike blood sugar, and make you gain weight—all factors that worsen diabetes. Even so-called “healthy” foods like diet soda, low-fat yogurt, or breakfast cereals are loaded with hidden sugars and chemicals.

But the good news is that you can take control of your health, prevent complications like blindness, amputations, kidney failure, and heart attacks—and in many cases, reverse diabetes completely.

Here’s how:

  1. Eat Real Food, Not Processed Junk
    •Fill your plate with vegetables (spinach, kale, broccoli, peppers), healthy fats (avocado, olive oil, nuts), and clean proteins (beans, lentils, wild-caught fish, or free-range eggs).
    •Cut out white bread, soda, chips, pastries, and processed meats.
    •Choose high-fiber foods that slow down sugar absorption and keep you full longer.
  2. Eliminate Sugar and Refined Carbs
    •Sugar is like poison for diabetics—it causes blood sugar spikes and insulin surges.
    •Avoid sweet drinks, desserts, and even fruit juices. Eat whole fruits like berries in moderation.
    •Replace white rice and white pasta with quinoa, lentils, or cauliflower rice.
  3. Consider Intermittent Fasting
    •Fasting (under medical guidance) gives the pancreas time to rest and helps the body become more insulin sensitive.
    •Try eating all meals within an 8-10 hour window, for example, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
    •Always hydrate well and break your fast with high-nutrient foods.
  4. Use Natural Blood Sugar Helpers
    •Cinnamon, bitter melon, berberine, and apple cider vinegar have shown promising results in lowering blood sugar naturally.
    •These are inexpensive, safe, and available at most natural food stores.
    •Talk to a holistic health professional before combining them with medications.
  5. Move Your Body Every Day
    •Just 30 minutes of walking, dancing, or biking can improve insulin sensitivity.
    •Exercise also helps you manage weight and improve mood—both crucial for healing.
  6. Sleep and Stress Management Matter Too
    •Lack of sleep and chronic stress raise cortisol, which worsens blood sugar control.
    •Practice deep breathing, meditation, or spend quiet time in nature.

Doctors like Dr. Jason Fung, Dr. Mark Hyman, and others have helped thousands of people reverse diabetes using nutrition and fasting. Clinics around the world are seeing patients throw away their insulin after just months of natural healing. Yet this approach rarely makes the headlines. Why? Because a cured patient doesn’t bring in money.

Insulin, metformin, and other medications are profitable products, generating billions for pharmaceutical companies every year. There’s no financial incentive to promote lifestyle-based cures. But your health is not a business—it’s your right. You deserve to know the truth.

Reversing diabetes is not a miracle. It’s science, food, and commitment. Communities all over Latin America and the U.S. are returning to traditional diets—frijoles, fresh vegetables, homemade meals—and reclaiming their health.

If you or someone you love is living with diabetes, start today. Cook more. Read labels. Walk often. Say no to sugary traps. And say yes to healing your body with real food.

Your health is in your hands—not in a prescription bottle.

 

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Sheinbaum holds ‘productive’ call with Trump as tension looms on trade and border issues

Both leaders had positive comments about Wednesday's phone call. -- Ambos líderes comentaron cosas positivas sobre la llamada telefónica del miércoles. (Casa Blanca/Archivo X.)

by Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies 

President Claudia Sheinbaum spoke to United States President Donald Trump by telephone on Wednesday, a call both leaders described as “very productive” without going into significant detail.

“Had a very productive call with the President of Mexico yesterday,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Thursday morning.

“Likewise, I met with the highest level Japanese Trade Representatives. It was a very productive meeting. Every Nation, including China, wants to meet! Today, Italy!” he said.

Sheinbaum subsequently acknowledged her call with Trump in a post to X.

“As he mentions on his account, it was very productive,” she wrote.

“We will continue dialogue to reach good agreements that benefit our country and our people,” Sheinbaum said.

The call came a day after Fox News broadcast an interview during which Trump asserted that the Mexican government is “very afraid” of drug cartels and that those criminal groups “run large sections” of Mexico. Sheinbaum dismissed Trump’s remarks at her Wednesday morning press conference, and revealed that her government had sent a diplomatic note to the United States over its transfer of control of a section of land along the U.S.-Mexico border to the U.S. army.

The Mexican president has consistently maintained that her government is willing to collaborate with the Trump administration on security issues but will not accept subordination or any violation of Mexico’s sovereignty.

Trade was likely another issue discussed by Sheinbaum and Trump in their call on Wednesday as Mexico is currently attempting to negotiate better trading conditions with its northern neighbor. Since Trump began his second term in January, the United States has imposed tariffs on Mexican steel and aluminum, cars made in Mexico and goods that don’t comply with the rules of the USMCA free trade pact.

In March, the United States briefly imposed 25% tariffs on all imports from Mexico and most imports from Canada due to what the White House said was the two countries’ failure to adequately stem the flow of “lethal drugs” such as fentanyl into the U.S.

On April 3, Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard said that Mexico’s goal was “to achieve the best [trading] conditions among all countries of the world for the [Mexican] auto industry.”

“The same thing for steel and aluminum. We’re going to be working the next 40 days. That is what comes next, and we estimate that it will be around 40 days of negotiations,” he said.

Ebrard can now add tomatoes to the list of products for which he is attempting to achieve tariff relief, as the United States government announced on Monday that it intends to impose duties of almost 21% on imports of most tomatoes from Mexico starting in July.

5 calls in 5 months 

Sheinbaum and Trump have now spoken by telephone on five occasions since the latter won the U.S. presidential election on Nov. 5. They have not yet met face-to-face.

Here is a summary of the two leaders’ four previous calls.

  • In a Nov. 7 call, Sheinbaum said she and Trump discussed “the good relationship there will be between Mexico and the United States.”
  • After a Nov. 27 call, Sheinbaum rejected Trump’s claim that she agreed in the call to “effectively” close the Mexico-U.S. border.
  • In a 3 call — two weeks after Trump began his second term — the two leaders reached what Sheinbaum called “a series of agreements,” including one to postpone a 25% tariff that the U.S. was about to impose on all imports from Mexico. During the call, Sheinbaum said she committed to immediately deploy 10,000 National Guard troops to the northern border “to avoid the trafficking of drugs from Mexico to the United States, in particular fentanyl.”
  • After a March 6 call, Trump said he had “agreed that Mexico will not be required to pay Tariffs on anything that falls under the USMCA Agreement,” thus suspending tariffs on USMCA-compliant goods that had taken effect two days earlier. “I did this as an accommodation, and out of respect for, President Sheinbaum. Our relationship has been a very good one, and we are working hard, together, on the Border, both in terms of stopping Illegal Aliens from entering the United States and, likewise, stopping Fentanyl,” the U.S. president wrote on Truth Social at the time.

By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)

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CA lawmakers to consider bill promoting ‘virtual power plants’

The states of Vermont and New York have already passed bills promoting virtual power plant programs that can redirect energy stored in devices like parked electric vehicles. (Buffaloboy/Adobe Stock) -- Los estados de Vermont y Nueva York ya han aprobado proyectos de ley que promueven programas de centrales eléctricas virtuales que pueden redirigir la energía almacenada en dispositivos como vehículos eléctricos estacionados.

by Public News Service

A bill to promote virtual power plants goes before the California State Assembly Utilities and Energy Committee next week. Virtual power plants are networks of home energy devices like smart thermostats, stationary home batteries, and electric vehicles that can be used as power sources during peak hours, which lowers the amount of power that electric utilities have to provide.

Assemblymember John Harabedian, D-Pasadena, said virtual power plants would reduce the need to build costly transmission lines and polluting natural gas plants.

“This bill, really in utilizing virtual power plants, is about affordability and reliability and sustainability. It’s a cost-saving measure, and it’s also an easier way to meet demand throughout the state during peak hours,” he explained.

At least 300,000 Californians are already getting paid as part of the Demand Side Grid Support program, agreement that allows the utilities to pull power stored in their smart devices’ batteries to power their home.

Harabedian said Assembly Bill 740 would direct the California Energy Commission to make plans to expand the use of virtual power plants, following the success of a pilot program.

“It has prevented blackouts. It has delivered over 500 megawatts of capacity, about the same as three gas peaker plants, and has saved millions of dollars already,” he continued. “So, the pilot program has been undeniably successful. We just need to scale it.”

A recent study found that virtual power plants could save California residents $750 million per year in traditional power system costs. Some are concerned that utilities may earn less money if the programs expand. So far, there is no registered opposition to the bill.

Backers of Assembly Bill 477 say it is intended to make educator pay rates more competitive with the private sector.

Advocates promote CA bill to raise school funding targets 50 percent over 10 years

A new bill in Sacramento would dramatically raise K-12 school funding targets by 50 percent over ten years. Assembly Bill 477 is intended to help districts raise educators’ pay, to attract more people to the profession and keep them there.

Grace Consentino is a middle-school science teacher in Novato.

“My commute every day is a total of one hour and 30 minutes. I would love to be able to live in the town that I work in, but I live in a separate county because the cost of living is so high,” she said. “This is why teachers leave.”

A recent study on the state of education in California found one in three new educators is seriously thinking about leaving, mostly because of low pay. The bill would hike the local control funding formula.

Opponents say they are concerned about cost. The Assembly Appropriations Committee has not yet completed a fiscal analysis.

Dannel Montesano is a longtime attendance clerk in the Galt Joint Union School District.

“Starting paraprofessional pay in my district is $18.63 an hour, while down the street at McDonald’s, the starting pay is over $20 an hour. So, our schools are suffering from constant turnover and staffing issues,” Montesano said.

California is bracing for a big hit to the state budget, as tax receipts are expected to be lower. In addition, Congress has proposed billions in cuts to Medi-Cal. And the administration has threatened to pull federal funding from schools that promote diversity, equity and inclusion.

Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi, D-Torrance, sponsored the bill, which went before the Assembly Education Committee on Wednesday.

“The Trump administration is attempting to dismantle public education and defund our schools. California must fight back to defend public education,” he said.

 

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Alexis Argüello: The gentleman of the ring who brought Nicaragua to the top

by Marvin Ramírez

Seventy-two years ago, on this day, one of the most beloved and transcendental figures in Nicaraguan sports was born in Managua: Alexis Argüello, three-time world boxing champion, a source of national pride, and a symbol of greatness both inside and outside the ring. His story is not only that of an exceptional athlete, but also that of a man who won the hearts of his country for his humility, charisma, and commitment to the underprivileged.

Known as “El Flaco Explosivo,” Argüello achieved glory by winning three world titles in different categories: featherweight, super featherweight, and lightweight, between 1974 and 1981. Each of his fights was a national event. The streets emptied and the radios lit up in unison, with an entire nation holding its breath at every blow and erupting with joy at every victory.

But beyond his elegant technique and devastating punch, Alexis was admired for his humanity. He was a gentleman in every sense of the word. Journalist Ariel Boza remembered him this Monday on his Facebook account:

“A gentleman inside and outside the ring. Today, a happy birthday goes to heaven for an immortal legend. Alexis Argüello not only filled us with glory, but also placed Nicaragua at the top of the sport with pride and dignity. You will always live in our hearts, champion.”

Argüello’s legacy is not limited to his sporting triumphs. He was also a leader, a public servant, and, above all, an ethical figure in complex times. His tragic death in 2009, surrounded by doubts and questions, left an open wound in the hearts of Nicaraguans. But his image lives on, stronger than ever, in every corner of the country.

His daughter, Dora Argüello Urbina, shared a moving message on April 19, reaffirming the deep connection that binds him to his family, even in his absence:

“I don’t have you physically, but I am bound to you by blood; loyalty and eternal gratitude. Although time has passed, they will never erase what we experienced or how much I love you. I will continue to defend you, even if I have to face the world. No one will ever replace you. Another Alexis Argüello will never be born.”

Today, Nicaragua fondly and proudly remembers its illustrious son. And although he is no longer with us, his image remains in every gym, in every young boxer who dreams of emulating him, and in every Nicaraguan who understands that greatness is measured not only by titles, but by the mark left on the soul of a people.

Happy birthday, eternal champion. May the light that never goes out shine upon you.

 

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Trump claims Mexico is ‘very afraid’ of drug cartels, suggests military action possible

Trump made the assertion in an interview with Fox News's Rachel Campos-Duffy. (White House/X) -- Trump hizo la afirmación en una entrevista con Rachel Campos-Duffy, de Fox News.

by the El Reportero wire services

United States President Donald Trump asserted in an interview broadcast on Tuesday that Mexico is “very afraid” of drug cartels, which he claimed “run large sections” of the country.

He made the assertions in an interview with Fox News after interviewer Rachel Campos-Duffy asked him what his plan is to combat Mexican cartels.

“So we’re working with Mexico,” he said, referring to the Mexican government led by President Claudia Sheinbaum.

“Mexico is, I think, very afraid of the cartels actually. I think the cartels run large sections of Mexico and I don’t want to say that because I’m getting along very well with the president,” Trump said.

Without providing any source for her claim, Campos-Duffy responded that “40% of the land mass in Mexico is controlled by the cartels.”

“Yeah, maybe at least, OK,” Trump said. “You know, at least, it’s hard to believe.”

In an address to the U.S. Congress last month, Trump hyperbolically asserted that cartels have “total control” over Mexico and pose “a grave threat to our national security.”

In his Tuesday interview with Fox, the U.S. president went on to say that he is “dealing very nicely” with Sheinbaum, whom he described as “a very fine woman.”

“…The relationship is very good and we want to help her and we want to help Mexico because you can’t run a country like that, you just can’t,” he said.

“[The cartels] have made a fortune and I will say it’s been cut back, way back, because of the border. The border is very, very secure right now,” Trump said.

The interview was broadcast the same day that the United States Department of the Interior announced the transfer of a large swath of land along the U.S.-Mexico border to the U.S. army.

“The land will be transferred to the Department of the Army for a period of three years, subject to valid existing rights. This action is intended to safeguard sensitive natural and cultural resources in the region while enabling the Department of the Army to support U.S. Border Patrol operations in securing the border and preventing illegal immigration,” the department said.

Earlier this month, NBC News reported that the Trump administration was considering carrying out drone strikes on cartels in Mexico.

On the first day of his second term, the U.S. president was asked whether he would consider “ordering U.S. special forces into Mexico” to “take out” cartels.

“Could happen, stranger things have happened,” said Trump, who last year indicated he was open to using military “strikes” against Mexican cartels.

Sheinbaum rejects assertion that her government is afraid of cartels 

At her Wednesday morning press conference, Sheinbaum rejected Trump’s claim that her government is “afraid” of cartels.

She said that Trump and other U.S. officials have their own unique “way of communicating” — an expression she has used previously to effectively dismiss incendiary remarks made by the U.S. president.

Sheinbaum said that the federal government’s security cabinet is “acting every day” to combat crime and violence in Mexico.

“… There is a reduction in crime and the reduction will continue,” she said.

Trump’s cartel control claim

There are various estimates on the percentage of territory that cartels “control” in Mexico, but it is important to stress that they are just that — estimates.

According to a May 2024 estimate from the U.S. military, cartels control around one-third of Mexico’s territory.

In March 2021, the then-commander of the United States Northern Command, General Glen D. VanHerck, said that “transnational criminal organizations” operate “oftentimes in ungoverned areas” that account for “30% to 35% of Mexico.”

Former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador rejected that claim, while in an interview with 60 Minutes last year, he said he “can travel throughout the entire country without problem.”

“There is no region that I cannot go and visit,” he said.

In a 2024 article headlined “How much of Mexico is governed by cartels?” Mexico-based British journalist Ioan Grillo wrote that “cartels certainly exert an amount of control in chunks of Mexico.”

“This can be seen in squads of gunmen operating openly, running checkpoints, ordering curfews, dictating what journalists can report, charging quotas on sales of avocados, moving votes for candidates, and controlling (or assassinating) mayors,” he wrote.

“Yet unlike with the Islamic State caliphate, the Mexican government still operates in those turfs. It provides electricity, sends teachers and collects garbage. And the army can still go in (while the cartel gunmen hide) and then leave (and they come out again),” Grillo added.

A summary of security developments since Trump took office  

There have been a number of security-related developments in Mexico and the United States since Trump began his second term on Jan. 20.

Since Trump returned to the White House, Sheinbaum has repeatedly said that her government is willing to collaborate and cooperate with the United States on security issues, while stressing that it will not accept subordination or any violation of Mexico’s sovereignty. The Mexican government provides regular updates on its progress in combating organized crime, during which it has highlighted that arrests, drug seizures and firearms confiscations are on the rise while homicides are declining.

 

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The warning that can’t wait

by the El Reportero news services

Carmen Alvarez sits in her Los Angeles apartment, her fingers hovering over her phone. The RSVP has been sent, the link confirmed—but the weight of what she’s about to witness makes her hesitate. It’s early April 2025, and something ominous is unfolding across the country.

Just days ago, the Trump Administration revives the Alien Registration Act of 1940 under the guise of a “registration process.” Officials frame it as a measure for safety and accountability, but immigrant rights organizations see it for what it truly is—a setup for mass targeting and deportations.

Now, immigrant rights leaders across the country prepare to sound the alarm. On Tuesday, April 15, they will hold a national virtual press conference to warn the public: this is not about paperwork—it’s about surveillance, racial profiling, and fear.

Carmen remembers the raids from years ago. Her uncle was taken during one. He never came back. Her family still carries the trauma. She can’t believe the country is headed back down the same road, this time with a digital twist.

The organizers leading the charge include some of the most respected names in the movement—Angelica Salas of CHIRLA, Tessa Petit of the Florida Immigrant Coalition, Murad Awawdeh of the New York Immigration Coalition, and Nicole Melaku from the National Partnership for New Americans. Together, they will break down how this “registration” effort puts millions at risk—including U.S. citizens swept into a system driven by appearance and origin.

“They say it’s voluntary,” Carmen says aloud, “but we know what comes next.”

The new policy, quietly enacted on April 11, demands immigrants present themselves for documentation. Comply, and you enter a federal database. Refuse, and you risk arrest. It’s not a choice—it’s a trap.

In her neighborhood, Carmen already sees the ripple effects. People stop showing up to work. Children are pulled from schools. Clinics report fewer patients. Fear is sinking in fast.

She opens her calendar and marks April 15 in bold red. This press conference isn’t just an update. It’s a warning shot. A rallying cry. The moment resistance must begin.

Carmen grabs her phone and begins contacting her network. “We can’t wait. We organize now. No one registers. No one complies.”

The registration process has begun. But so has the resistance.

To hear directly from national leaders on the front lines, the public is urged to attend a virtual press conference on Tuesday, April 15, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. Pacific / 12:00 noon Eastern. Speakers from the Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM) and the National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA) will expose the risks and long-term damage of this new federal immigrant registration policy.

To receive the event link, RSVP via email to jmcabrera@chirla.org. A recording will be made available upon request.

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RFK Jr. vows to uncover root of autism ‘epidemic’ by September

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

by the El Reportero Staff

Amid growing concern about the alarming rise in autism diagnoses, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has promised to uncover the root causes of what he terms an “autism epidemic” by this September. The pledge comes as part of a sweeping multinational research effort involving “hundreds of scientists from around the world,” tasked with investigating environmental, medical, and societal factors behind the disorder’s surge.

“We’ve launched a massive testing and research effort,” Kennedy announced during a recent White House Cabinet meeting. “By September, we will know what has caused the autism epidemic, and we’ll be able to eliminate those exposures.”

Autism diagnoses in the U.S. have soared from 1 in 10,000 during Kennedy’s childhood to a staggering 1 in 31 children today, according to the latest estimates. “It is an epidemic,” he insisted. “Epidemics are not caused by genes. Genes can provide a vulnerability, but you need an environmental toxin.”

For Elizabeth, a woman from Argentina who has lived with autism her entire life, the science may be catching up too late — but she welcomes the attention.

Elizabeth

“I’ve carried this silence for too long,” Elizabeth told El Reportero. “People see autism, but they don’t see the bruises behind it. My father didn’t understand what I was. He called me lazy, broken. I was punished for being different.”

Elizabeth’s life has been shaped not only by the condition but by relentless maltrato — abuse — from both her family and broader society. She describes growing up in a household where her behaviors were not seen as symptoms but as disobedience. “They thought I was defiant. But I wasn’t trying to fight — I was trying to survive,” she said.

As Kennedy’s team explores factors including vaccines, food systems, air and water quality, and parenting norms, Elizabeth reflects on a lifetime of misunderstanding. “If they find out why more children are like me, maybe future children won’t be treated like I was,” she says.

While Kennedy has long courted controversy with his vaccine skepticism — a view reinforced by the founding of his organization Children’s Health Defense — he emphasized that the current investigation is casting a wide net. “We’re going to look at vaccines, but we’re going to look at everything. Everything is on the table.”

Mainstream researchers continue to debate the rise in autism, often attributing it to broader diagnostic criteria and increased awareness. But Kennedy believes the answer lies in modern environmental conditions and medical protocols. “We know that it is an environmental toxin that is causing this cataclysm,” he stated. “And we are going to identify it.”

Elizabeth hopes the answers Kennedy seeks might do more than identify environmental toxins — perhaps they can help society confront the human cost of misunderstanding neurodiversity.

“I’ve lived in the shadows,” she said. “If someone had understood what I was going through when I was a child, maybe I wouldn’t have had to fight so hard just to be seen.”

As the September deadline looms, families around the world — and survivors like Elizabeth — wait with cautious hope. Whether or not the cause is found, the conversation itself may finally open long-closed doors.

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Border Patrol said it targeted known criminals in Kern County. But it had no record on 77 of 78 arrestees

El sargento Gregory Bovino durante una entrevista en la sede de la Patrulla Fronteriza de El Centro el 25 de febrero de 2025. Foto de Kevin Clancy, CalMatters y Evident Media. - Sergeant Gregory Bovino during an interview at Border Patrol headquarters in El Centro on February 25, 2025. Photo by Kevin Clancy, CalMatters and Evident Media.

Contrary to its public narrative, the agency cast a wide net in its California immigration raid, setting the stage for a legal battle over how the government carries out mass deportations

by Sergio Olmos and Wendy Fry

It was quiet on the border. A Border Patrol agent named James Lee was parked in the shade next to a 30-foot fence in Calexico. The windows of his SUV were rolled up, the engine making that noise when it’s idle for a long time while the air conditioning is running. “We haven’t had any crossing in the last few days,” Lee said.

At the height of illegal border crossings in 2023, Border Patrol encountered 3.2 million people. But now the southern border is desolate. Lee is one of around 1,000 agents in the El Centro sector, which has seen a 91 percent decrease in encounters compared to the same month last year. The decline in crossings that began during the Biden administration has accelerated in the first few months of the Trump administration. When we visited in late February, not a single person had been recorded trying to cross for more than half the week.

The man in charge of the El Centro sector, Gregory Bovino, once told congressional investigators, “I’ve always found that idle hands do the devil’s work.” On Jan. 7, the day after Congress certified Trump’s election victory, Bovino sent 65 of his agents into Kern County, six hours north of the border, to conduct a raid that has shaken immigrant communities and agricultural businesses across the state, and has set the stage for a legal battle over how the government carries out mass deportations.

Border Patrol said it arrested 78 people in what it called “Operation Return to Sender,” but provided few details. Most of the official information about the raid came from Bovino’s Facebook comments. He posted blurred photos of three Latino men alongside a photo of 33 lbs of marijuana in the trunk of a car. He wrote, “Here in the #PremierSector we go the extra mile – or 500 of them – to protect our nation and communities from bad people and bad things.”

On the day of the raids, Casey Creamer, CEO of California Citrus Mutual, an association of citrus growers around Bakersfield, heard that the Border Patrol was targeting criminal activity.  He thought that might explain why the agents had come so far north. But the next day, he began to doubt the official narrative.

“It does not seem to be a targeted criminal activity just based on what growers are seeing and observing,” he said.

Creamer learned that agents detained people outside of a Home Depot and a convenience store frequented by farm workers in the morning on their way to the fields. They pulled over drivers on roads running between farms.

“I know for a fact they were stationed on growers’ property. Not public property, but actual growers’ property,” Creamer said.

Bovino said that his agents had a “predetermined list of targets,” many of whom had criminal records, before they set off for Kern County. “We did our homework,” he said.

But a CalMatters investigation, in partnership with Evident and Bellingcat, found that Border Patrol officials misrepresented the very basics of their high-profile, large-scale immigration raid. Data obtained from U.S. Customs and Border Protection reveal that Border Patrol had no prior knowledge of criminal or immigration history for 77 of the 78 people arrested.

In a spreadsheet provided by the agency, under “Criminal History,” all but one entry contains the following passage: “Criminal and/or immigration history was not known prior to the encounter.”

Bovino sat down with CalMatters in February to talk about the Kern County operation.

A handful of armed agents stood as audience for the entire hour. They stayed quiet, listening to their boss tell a reporter what’s what.

Bovino stands out among the Border Patrol chiefs. The El Centro sector’s Facebook page features staged photos of him in uniform, including including a closeup with an AR-15, and one on a white horse in the desert, cradling a shotgun. He has given his sector a brand: “the premier sector.” It’s similar to the way states have mottos on license plates that aren’t necessarily used by anybody else to describe that state.

“Twenty sectors in the U.S. Border Patrol, and we do call ourselves the premiere sector,” he said with a smile. “So please let those other chiefs know we said that.”

This area of the border is remote. But Bovino’s powers stretch far beyond the border. “Our area goes up through Central California, all the way to the Oregon border,” he said.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has the authority to search vehicles and vessels without a warrant “within a reasonable distance from any external boundary” of the U.S., including the entire coastline. The federal government defines this distance as 100 miles.

Roughly two-thirds of the U.S. population, about 200 million people, live within this zone.

“Federal authority does not just reside at that line in the sand, as some people like to look at it on the border,” Bovino said. “A lot of bad things and bad people that come across that border. And it doesn’t just stay at the border. What comes across that border goes into Anytown, USA and into Ma’ and Pa’ America.”

Nationwide there are roughly four times more Border Patrol than ICE agents. In El Centro, there are five Border Patrol agents whose job it is to produce videos.

Their latest project is a series of fictionalized videos portraying migrants crossing the border as menaces with a bloodlust to commit crimes. Bovino shared the first video on social media with the caption: “Any town. Any neighborhood. Any family. When heartless criminals, sex offenders, and human traffickers illegally enter the United States and get away, they prey on our children, the most vulnerable members of our communities.”

In the video, two agents sit in their vehicle at night, listening to a news broadcast about an undocumented migrant charged with the rape and murder of a 64-year-old woman in Santa Maria. The news clip is from a real CBS report from 10 years ago. An agent shakes his head in disgust and turns off the radio, saying “Man, that’s the second one in less than a week. Things are getting out of hand.”

At that moment dispatch comes over the radio and tells the agents of a nearby vehicle that’s loaded with migrants. The agents are able to catch three of the men, but one gets away and sneaks into “Anytown, USA,” where he savagely murders an American citizen, taking the man’s cell phone and fleeing. The screen goes dark with the message: “Every apprehension matters. Do you know who got away?”

Bovino is proud of the videos, and rejected the idea that the fictional portrayals are, in fact, fictional. “Those fictionalized accounts that you’re talking about are really not fictionalized accounts. Let’s get that straight. Because thousands of American citizens every year die and/or are maimed, killed or raped,” he said. Less than 1 percent of the people Border Patrol agents encounter have a criminal conviction of any kind, according to agency data. By comparison around 8 percent of Americans have a felony conviction, according to one study.

Bovino likes to praise President Dwight Eisenhower, who led the largest deportation in American history, rounding up 1.3 million Mexicans and Mexican Americans in 1954. The first buses deporting migrants – in what was called “Operation Wetback” – rolled out of El Centro over 70 years ago. In January, Bovino launched his own operation as “a proof of concept,” he has said, to show how Border Patrol could be used for mass deportations in the interior.

The El Centro sector denied requests for details on the 78 people arrested during “Operation Return to Sender.” CalMatters made the same request to Customs and Border Protection headquarters in Washington, D.C., which provided the data. It showed the Border Patrol had a record of criminal or immigration history on only one person. That person’s record showed that they had been ordered to be deported a year earlier.

The records directly contradict what Bovino told us in the interview. He maintained his agents went after specific targets, “many of which … were prior deports, already had immigration history, criminal history.”

We received the data after our interview with Bovino. We attempted to ask the Border Patrol follow-up questions, but the agency declined, citing “ongoing litigation.” Last month the ACLU sued Border Patrol on behalf of United Farm Workers, arguing that the agency detained people who looked Latino or like farm workers without reasonable suspicion they were doing anything unlawful, and then deprived them of due process by forcing them to sign self-deportation paperwork.

In our interview, Bovino also offered an expansive definition of who he considers “criminals.”

“Every single one of the 78 that we arrested were criminals. Eight U.S.C. 1325 – illegal entry into the  United States,” he said, citing federal code for what is a misdemeanor offense.

If the Border Patrol did have a targeted list of people with criminal records, they didn’t arrest them. Regardless, Bovino didn’t see a difference between going after undocumented field workers or drug dealers: “If you’re an illegal alien, you’re getting it. A fentanyl dealer, you get it.”

Creamer, who represents the citrus growers, said he has a different definition of criminal activity.

He said the people who work in their operations have been there as long as 30 years – “ hard-working people that don’t deserve to be harassed.”

“If they’re targeting a rural operation like this, people that are getting up early in the morning to work, those aren’t drug dealers,” he said.

Creamer warned that the United States won’t have a food supply if agriculture doesn’t have a workforce in California and beyond. The USDA Economic Research services says that 42 percent of agricultural workers are undocumented. Lawmakers in Florida, which is the other major citrus provider, recently introduced legislation to loosen child labor laws to replace field workers following an immigration crackdown.

Ninety percent of the nation’s fresh citrus comes from California, according to Citrus Mutual. Zac Green,  a citrus farmer in Kern County, said that, in the days after the raid,  85 percent of his workers stayed home out of fear. “We have to have that reliable workforce,” he said. “We’re feeding people.”

“Our people can go back to their communities and put their kids in school. They can buy homes, they can buy vehicles,” he said. “We’re here to work and provide for our families, and that’s what we’re trying to do.”

Bree Bernwanger, a senior staff attorney with the ACLU, said she’s not surprised that Border Patrol had prior records on only one of the people arrested.

“Border Patrol went on a fishing expedition in the Central Valley. They swarmed the highways and stopped people in agricultural areas,” she said. “People who are just driving down the road because they were brown or because they looked like farm workers. ”

The ACLU has asked for a restraining order to stop the agency from conducting similar raids within California while the lawsuit is being heard. The organization argues that Border Patrol must have reasonable suspicion a person is doing something unlawful.

“We’re asking a court to order them not to stop people – whether they’re driving down the road or whether they’re in a parking lot – not to stop them unless they have a reason,” Bernwanger said. “And someone looking Latino, looking like a farm worker, looking like a day laborer—those are not legal reasons.”

For his part, Bovino wants to use the Kern operation as a model for immigration enforcement across California.

“It’s game on – anywhere,” he said.

“It could be Fresno, could be Sacramento, could be Stockton. You never know. We’re going to go where that threat is, and where we can do the most damage to bad people and bad things that we possibly can. That’s what we’re in the business of doing.”

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