Valentine’s Day week is big for Coral Gables, immigrants

Valentine’s Day week is big for Coral Gables, immigrants

Love is in the air. But just because it’s Valentine’s Day this week doesn’t mean we’ve taken a break from our love/hate relationship with local politics, right? This week is chock full of events, government meetings and fundraisers — ending with nothing less than the much-anticipated (for some, dreaded) public hearing and Miami-Dade county commission […]

Miami-Dade: Esteban Bovo cuts public speech on i-word

Miami-Dade: Esteban Bovo cuts public speech on i-word

It was an odd thing to watch as speaker after speaker at Tuesday’s Miami-Dade Commission meeting be silenced — their mics actually cut off — and, in some cases escorted out of the chambers. Disturbingly odd. Chillingly odd. Members of the community had gone to speak on Mayor Carlos Gimenez’s directive Jan. 26 to the corrections department, telling them to […]

Looming face off at County Hall over sanctuary switch

Looming face off at County Hall over sanctuary switch

After Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez buckled to President Donald Trump‘s threats to keep federal funds from “sanctuary cities” and he issued his directive to have illegal immigrants with federal detention orders held by county corrections officers for Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, immigration activists and their friends have protested at County Hall — twice. But on Tuesday, […]

Protesters have demands for Carlos Gimenez on sanctuary

Protesters have demands for Carlos Gimenez on sanctuary

Somewhere around 300 immigrant advocates and social justice activists from more than a dozen organizations descended on Miami-Dade County Hall Tuesday afternoon to protest Mayor Carlos Gimenez‘s about-face on complying with federal immigration detention orders at the local level. And they want him to take it back. Last week, Gimenez instructed the director of the county’s Department […]

Joe Garcia to join Carlos Gimenez protesters at County Hall

Joe Garcia to join Carlos Gimenez protesters at County Hall

Former Congressman Joe Garcia will join others at County Hall this afternoon to protest Mayor Carlos Gimenez‘s directive last week to have illegal immigrants who are arrested for other crimes detained for federal immigration proceedings. “While I’m a good friend of Mayor Gimenez’s, I think this is a mistake,” Garcia told Ladra Tuesday morning. “Hopefully, […]

Levine Cava questions Gimenez on sanctuary about-face

Levine Cava questions Gimenez on sanctuary about-face

And what else might the mayor give up to Trump? Miami-Dade Commissioner Daniella Levine Cava is pushing back on the mayor’s decision last week to kowtow to Donald Trump and betray not only the immigrant community in Miami-Dade but all of us. She’s the only one. So far, anyway. But her questions could put the issue […]

Carlos Gimenez betrays our community for Donald Trump

Carlos Gimenez betrays our community for Donald Trump

Once again, Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez is going to be on the wrong side of history. Thursday’s decision to kowtow to the petulant policies of our new president, Donald Trump, is a new low for Gimenez, who has instructed the corrections department to start detaining illegal immigrants that are arrested on unrelated crimes until federal authorities […]

Carlos Gimenez slow to back DACA Dreamers vs Trump

Carlos Gimenez slow to back DACA Dreamers vs Trump

Mayor Carlos Gimenez, wishy washy as ever, was a day late and a dollar short Thursday when he put out a statement supporting the deferred action on immigrants who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children. “This morning, I was briefed on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). I fully support the extension of […]

Rep. Carlos Trujillo draws protests over anti-immigrant bill

Rep. Carlos Trujillo draws protests over anti-immigrant bill

Immigrant rights groups are not only angry that there is new legislation in Tallahassee that would make it a felony for illegal immigrants to stay in Florida after they get deportation orders. They are also upset that the bill’s champion is a Cuban-American from Miami. And they are comparing Rep. Carlos Trujillo (R-Doral) to GOP […]

Dejavu: Joe Garcia takes Homestead DREAMer to SOTU

Dejavu: Joe Garcia takes Homestead DREAMer to SOTU

When President Barack Obama speaks tonight at the State of the Union Address, he will bring up immigration reform. Again. And the cameras will likely pan to the parade of DREAMers (read: human stage props) invited to the White House as symbols of the struggle. Again. Among them will be Mayra Rubio Limon, a young […]