In The News

Two congressmen are demanding answers from the government officials charged with oversight of U.S. Customs and Border Protection after an ABC News investigation that shed light on a tragic 2013 episode at the U.S.-Mexico border. Government surveillance video obtained by ABC News shows two Customs and Border Protection officers appeared to encourage — or at least permit — a 16-year-old Mexican high school student named Cruz Velazquez to drink from a bottle that tests later revealed contained concentrated liquid methamphetamine. He died shortly afterward from acute methamphetamine intoxication. In an Aug. 2 letter addressed to the acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Rep. Juan Vargas, D-Calif., whose district includes the border crossing where the episode occurred, and Rep. Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y., called the officers’ actions “appalling” and advocated for legislation that would rein in the agency.

Desde 1964, millones de estudiantes de secundaria de hogares de bajos ingresos se han convertido en los primeros en sus familias en obtener un título universitario gracias a los programas financiados con fondos federales Upward Bound que operan en cada estado. Estos programas, establecidos como parte de la Guerra contra la Pobreza del presidente Lyndon B. Johnson, invitan a estudiantes de secundaria de familias de bajos ingresos a estudiar en un campus universitario. Durante el año escolar, tienen acceso a tutoría y consejería académica para mantenerlos en vía a su graduación, y con la llegada del verano, se mudan a dormitorios y se inscriben en clases diseñadas para prepararlos para el año que sigue. Las comunidades del campus se reúnen alrededor de los estudiantes de Upward Bound, proporcionando recursos cruciales y desarrollando en ellos el sentido de que pertenecen a la universidad. Los padres de tales estudiantes pueden ofrecerles un sólido apoyo, pero no pueden transmitir la nostalgia y la comprensión de una universidad a la que nunca asistieron. Pueden inculcar disciplina y ser generosos en su estímulo para que sigan una educación universitaria, pero es poco probable que sean de mucha ayuda para su hijo cuando se trata de llenar la solicitud Common App o elegir qué prueba de admisión debe tomar. El conocimiento de estos procesos, aunque menos valioso que el amor de los padres, no es menos importante.

100 Days into President Donald Trump’s presidency, America has witnessed a dramatic shift on many fronts. It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, that Trump is filling the swamp with the same hate induced agenda that we witnessed during his campaign. And as a result, we are now witnessing firsthand aggressive shifts in policies that impact America’s standing abroad with our allies and here at home. Radical efforts to take away healthcare from millions of Americans with the now failed attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act or Obamacare, to the also now blocked Executive Orders that would have proven disastrous for America by banning Muslims, refugees, and travelers from entering the country. Ongoing is the challenge to resist the Trump administration’s policy and rhetorical attacks on immigrant communities around the country. With its anti-immigrant agenda, the administration has set loose the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Customs Border Patrol (CBP) agents to target immigrant families through raids, detentions and deportation with no oversight or accountability, policies that are unacceptable and unaligned with the values that make our country successful.

Freshman Rep. Adriano Espaillat, 62, a New York Democrat, talks about public housing, baseball, and his grandson’s love of cars. Q: What has surprised you about Congress so far? A: It’s a huge operation. It’s a great huge, large institution and for you to put your arms around it. You have to be very specific and develop a niche in every area you want to excel in, that’s close to your heart, something that’s good for our district, and it’s all local, obviously. Housing is what I’ve chosen. Public housing is very broad. The White House is public housing. The president doesn’t pay rent. He has cold and hot water every day. He doesn’t have any mold in the bathroom or leaks in his pipes. We pay his rent and that’s public housing. We should have a level of commitment to tenants who live in public housing.