Florida

Julio welcomes Karma Chavez, professor of Mexican American and Latina/o Studies at the University of Texas at Austin and author of ‘Queer Migration Politics: Activist Rhetoric and Coalitional Possibilities,’ to discuss the current legislative assaults on LGBTQ rights.

On Sunday the U.S. played Cuba in the World Baseball Classic to a crowd of fans of the game and protesters against the Cuban regime. The goal of the demonstrations was presumably to bring awareness to Cuba’s totalitarian regime, but it was really about proximity to whiteness.

In late February, Gov. Ron DeSantis unveiled a series of extreme anti-immigrant proposals for the upcoming legislative session, including repealing previous state laws that offered legal rights and protections to undocumented people

The Florida Legislature has ceased to function as an independent body and instead serves as a rubber stamp for Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, the result of which is a slew of legislation that targets the vulnerable, diminishes civil liberties, and serves special interest groups at the expense of working people.

The GOP has made inroads with Latino voters in recent years in much of the U.S. and especially in Florida. That strong showing, however, is leading to some tension as the newly emboldened Republicans in Washington aim to launch an aggressive agenda around immigration policy.

As the fight for African American studies continues in Florida, Latino Rebels Radio host Julio Ricardo Varela welcomes Sean Arce, co-founder of the Mexican American Raza Studies Program in Tucson, to draw parallels between the current battle and Arizona’s ethnic studies battle over a decade ago.

A roundup of the week’s top Latino news from around the world, written by Latino Rebels senior editor Hector Luis Alamo.

The Biden administration is under growing pressure from leftists in Latin America as well as U.S. lawmakers to expel Jair Bolsonaro from a post-presidential retreat in Florida following his supporters’ brazen attack on Brazil’s capital over the weekend.

The recently announced Netflix series will follow three friends hoping to make it in the world of reggaetón. But when Netflix announced the show, no Boricuas appeared to be behind the camera—either as producers, consultants, or in its eight-person writers’ room.

Latino voters were generally supportive of the Biden administration’s policies but remain extremely worried about inflation and the rising cost of living. Pre-election myths about frustration leading to a seismic Latino shift towards the right were ultimately wrong.

Florida Democrats can turn things around, but it will take a long-term plan, cohesive economic messaging that appeals to working people, year-round voter registration, permanent offices offering tangible services, and electing down-ballot candidates to build a bench.

Latinos made up about one in 10 of the votes cast during the 2022 midterm elections, according to a study conducted by the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials. Roughly 35 million Latinos were eligible to vote, representing 14 percent of the electorate.

Latinos were running for top offices across 44 states, with political observers predicting a “historic” rise in Latino representation. Some elections have yet to be called, but even still, Latinos have made clear gains throughout the government.

Marco Rubio and his fellow Republicans must stop the political games and work in a bipartisan manner to either protect DREAMers, or be responsible for the demise of a program that has changed lives, strengthened our nation, and reflected the best of who we are as a people.

Tuesday’s midterm elections will likely see a “historic” rise in Latino representation in Congress, statewide offices, and state legislatures, according to a study conducted by NALEO. Latinos are running for top offices in 44 states.

President Biden and the Democrats have delivered impactful legislation to strengthen the economy and create good-paying jobs, while addressing other important priorities for Latinos, like climate change.

For almost two years, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has gone to great lengths to insulate himself in press conferences that amount to nothing more than taxpayer-funded choreographies in which he is allowed to regurgitate his talking points unchallenged.

After Futuro Media’s first-ever poll of Latino voters in Florida revealed high support for Gov. DeSantis and the Republican Party, Latino Rebels spoke to respondents to get a better sense of the political environment in a battleground state that is quickly becoming a crimson stronghold for the GOP.

The mysterious woman who allegedly lured dozens of migrants on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ flights to Martha’s Vineyard from San Antonio has been identified by several media outlets as Perla H. Huerta, a former combat medic and U.S. Army counterintelligence agent living in Tampa.

Floridians have the highest property-insurance rates in the nation, with the average premium of $4,231 nearly tripling the nationwide average of $1,544. The issue stems largely from a lack of financial regulation and out-of-control litigation, and has been made worse in the wake of Hurricane Ian.

Hurricane Ian left a path of destruction in southwest Florida, trapping people in flooded homes, cutting off the only bridge to a barrier island, damaging the roof of a hospital intensive care unit and knocking out power to 2.5 million people as it dumped rain across the peninsula on Thursday.