This week on Fronteras:
· The founder of the advocacy group Border Angels goes missing in Mexico for more than four days and survives.
· Our southern neighbor considers boycotting U.S. corn because it feels the Trump Administration is anti-Mexico.
· How Republicans crossed the lines in the long battle over redistricting in Texas.
· Voices from Mega Corazón – quite possibly the largest poetry event in the world.
Border Angels Activist Found Injured In Mexico
The founder of the San Diego advocacy group Border Angels is injured but safe after he disappeared in Mexico for nearly five days. Late last week, Hugo Castro pleaded for help in Spanish on Facebook live, saying criminals were hunting him. He turned up wounded in a city in the State of Mexico Tuesday. Jean Guerrero of KPBS reports Castro was found after investigators from the office of the special prosecutor for disappeared persons received an anonymous phone tip describing his location.
Investigation Underway Into Border Angels Founder’s Disappearance
Thousands of people have gone missing in Mexico. An investigation is underway into Hugo Castro’s disappearance and whether or not he was kidnapped. Jean discussed more details about what was known about the incident on Wednesday with her KPBS colleague Maureen Cavanaugh.
Mexico Considers Boycotting U.S. Corn
Mexico is weighing economic retaliation against the U.S. to counter what Mexicans say is an anti-Mexico Trump administration. One idea under consideration is a boycott of U.S. corn. Mexico is the number one export market for American corn. And U.S. corn producers recently went to Mexico to lobby against the idea. Marfa Public Radio’s Lorne Matalon reports from Mexico City.
Texas Redistricting Battle Now In Its 6th Year
Judges have ruled again that Texas deliberately discriminated against minority voters – this time in drawing district lines for the state House of Representatives. The 2-1 ruling by a federal panel found that Texas intended to weaken the influence of minorities by (quote) “wasting Latino votes.”
The drawing of Texas voting maps is a long, complicated affair.
The Texas Constitution requires the state legislature re-draw these districts after each census, to make sure these geographic boundaries contain the same amount of people.
Minority advocacy groups did not like those 2011 maps, and filed suit, saying they were deliberately designed to negatively affect Latino and African American voters… especially in districts from Dallas to San Antonio and out towards El Paso. TPR’s Ryan Poppe has the story.
San Antonio’s Mega Corazón Poetry Festival May Be World’s Largest
April is National Poetry Month and San Antonio marked it with what arguably could be called the largest poetry event in the world. TPR’s Norma Martinez takes us to this year’s Mega Corazón.
Audio from Bryce Milligan, Natalia Treviño, and Anthony the Poet from this year’s Mega Corazón can be heard online at TPR.org.
