Migrants On Air

Join Carlos and Karina one last time as they wrap up Season 3 and their time as hosts on Migrants on Air. In this final episode of the year, they look back at where the podcast started and where it is at now, share their favorite moments, and speak on what the future holds for them and the podcast.

Gabriel Vazquez was born in Michoacán, México and is the creator of Traveling Undocumented on TikTok (@gabrielvazquez478). As a non-DACA recipient, he shares his journey about traveling the United States while being undocumented. He has boarded over 100 planes with his Mexican passport without any issues. Through his content, he has inspired other undocumented folks to take their first flight and has helped create a community of resource sharing and joy.

Join co-hosts Carlos Alberto and Karina Dominguez as they talk with Brianna Vazquez, an immigrant mother from Mexico City who grew up in a time before DACA. Brianna emphasizes that the ideas of navigating family, chasing culture, and growing up undocumented have lasting effects long after one naturalizes. Brianna is proud of all the fearless undocu folks living their dreams in ways she could have never imagined as a kid. Now she is just trying to be a good community member and a mom to her 17 year old child. She has been in her career for 12 years and in her free time enjoys reading, napping, eating, lifting, running, watching unserious tv, and fighting to destroy white supremacy and any expectations that hold us back from being who we truly are.

This month we are joined by Yvette Borja, host of Radio Cachimbona, an abolitionist podcast that audio-archives state repression and fierce migrant resistance in the Southern Arizona borderlands and breaks down case law and politics from a leftist perspective. As a first-generation professional whose parents are Salvadoran immigrants, Yvette prioritizes uplifting the voices and histories of Central Americans. Join us in our conversation with Yvette, and then head on over to her podcast to show your support and keep learning.

Over the last three presidencies, the asylum system has dramatically changed. Join Carlos and Karina and their guest Lauren Kostes.Lauren grew up in Connecticut, the daughter and granddaughter of Italian immigrants. She received her BA from Bucknell University in 2011 for International Relations, with a focus on international human rights, and graduated with her J.D. from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 2015. While at UCONN Law, she focused on human rights, with a particular focus on immigration law. She interned at Human Rights First and Catholic Charities, where she primarily worked on asylum cases. In 2016, she moved across the country to do removal defense in Arizona at the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project (Florence Project), where she worked giving Know Your Rights presentations in detention centers, and representing immigrants in removal proceedings, primarily representing them in asylum and appeals cases. After nearly six years in Arizona, she returned to New York to become Coordinating Attorney at the New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG), where she coordinates and provides universal representation under the New York Immigrant Family Unity Program (NYIFUP) to immigrants in removal proceedings in New York. In her spare time, she loves cooking, hiking, and traveling. Follow her instagram: @ThePastattorney

Have you Heard of Advanced Parole? Join us as we speak to Magdelena Olivo, a Purépecha DACA recipient working and living in Los Angeles, as she walks us through her migration, living as an indigenous migrant in the U.S and her experience traveling back to Mexico for the first time since she was a baby on Advance Parole. We listen to her story as she explains the application process, the intricacies surrounding applying to the program and the emotions that come from seeing your family for the first time in decades.

Join co-hosts Karina Dominguez and Carlos Yañez for a special episode where they remember SB1070 as Florida passed SB1718. This horrible bill will further criminalize immigrant communities. They are joined by Nery, an immigrant rights advocate and coordinator with the FL student power network, a youth organization serving students across Florida to advocate for education, climate and migrant justice. Nery is a FIU alumni and is heavily involved in immigrant community work with youth. The Florida legislature has failed to protect immigrants and Florida immigrant youth will not stay silent. We hope our immigrant communities across the country see the realities and parallels that immigrants face daily.

Join co-hosts Karina Dominguez, Carlos Yañez, and Danny Orona as they sit with their guest of the month, Alejandra. They discuss undocu-joy, thriving and finding job opportunities without DACA, the need to push ourselves away from feelings of helplessness, and some controversial opinions.

Join Co-hosts Carlos and Karina as they have a chisme session, talking immigration law updates, DREAM ACT and new proposals for registry. Immigration changes fast, but we will catch you up faster!

Even though the dominant narrative of migration places childhood arrivals at the forefront, we know that people migrate at every stage of life. Join us as we talk with Brenda Heredia on her migration journey, and how migrating as a young adult shaped her life.Brenda Heredia is a California based undocumented entrepreneur and business owner, specializing in handmade candles and other homegoods under her brand quherenciaAs a young adult, Brenda migrated from Mexico City to California and was asked to navigate United States Systems without speaking English- her perseverance and her strong support system led her to graduate with a double bachelors and translation certificate from the University of California- Fullerton. Her experience as a non DACA-mented individual merges with her experiences navigating institutions, and stresses the need for inclusivity of Immigrants outside of the DACA program.

This is one of the most important election of our history, and one of the most important propositions is Prop 308.Today we have Gloria Martinez Granados to tell us her story and some details about her art currenly on display at the Phoenix Art Museum. Gloria Martinez-Granados is a Phoenix, Arizona based artist. Born in Guanajuato, Mexico she migrated to the United States of America with her family at 8 years old. Gloria is a interdisciplinary artist creating with indigenous practices, adding a contemporary approach by including printmaking, assemblage, installation and performance to the more traditional arts of beadwork and weaving. Through this process, she develops themes around identity, dreams, place, home and land. This merges with her experience growing up undocumented in the United States and the legal limbo she lives day to day as a DACAmented person. In 2019 she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Printmaking from Arizona State University's Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts. She has been invited as a teaching artist at The Phoenix Art Museum and CALA Alliance. In 2022, Gloria received the 40th Annual Environmental Excellence Award for her collaboration “Good Trouble Bucket” with environmental artist Joan Baron. This same year, Valle del Sol has awarded Martinez-Granados for the annual Profiles of Success event with the Espiritu y Cultura Award. Gloria will also be presenting work at the Phoenix Art Museum from September 2022 till May 2023 as a recipient of the inaugural Sally and Richard Lehmann Emerging Artists Awards.

Proposition 308 will be on the ballot in November, and while we know the effects that it can have on the future of education for our students, there's nothing like hearing it from them directly. For this episode we reached out to 5 students or former students from different generations to tell their stories of trying to go to school in Arizona and what Prop 308 could mean for their futures.

This week we are on the road! We are recording from Las Vegas, Nevada where we are hosting a third screening and panel of the documentary Rejecting the Dreamer Narrative in partnership with Raiz Southern Nevada, Make the Road Nevada, Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, Nevada State College Office of Community, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion and Somos Votanes Documentary can be found here: https://youtu.be/zKkBdyv-Vzc Joining us will be Rico Ocampo telling us about growing up in Las Vegas and describing his struggle in the movement over the years. There have been some great victories, and some bad defeats but with community he and his team have proven that there is no quit in the movement. Now we will begin a new dialogue where we describe the seemingly positive term "dreamer" and what it means for those people left out in the dark.

We Are Home Arizona is now Migrants On Air! and we kick off this new journey in migrant storytelling we discuss our view on what it means to be binational. Joining us in this conversation is our very own Victoria Perches who grew up in the border city of El Paso. Things got a bit surprising for those of us who grew up in Arizona, thinking that every other city with a dense migrant population was just as bad in terms of discriminatory policy and practices. Are we the problem Arizona?

Season on we were known as We Are Home Arizona, now we are back with a new season, and a new name. Carlos, Karina, and Danny proudly bring you Migrants on air. A space for our stories of power and community. Through round table discussions, interviews, special guests, and so much more the Fuerte team brings you this new project, Migrants On Air! For More information about Fuerte, please visit fuerte.org and follow Fuerte on all social media platforms.

This week we are diving into the intersection between climate justice and migrant justice. We are joined by Karina Dominguez, Fuerte's Climate Justice Program Lead. With her we talk about the 1980 Refugee Act and how it excludes climate refugees seeking asylum, how political culture across the west is increasingly antiimmigrant, and the need to change policy to ensure all immigrants are protected.

In this episode we look back on Title 42 and the damage it has caused to our community. The hypocrisy of this racist policy is fully discussed as well as several foreign policies surrounding the US and Puerto Rico. Big thank you to Rochel Rivera Leal for being with us on this episode and discussing her work with immigrants as well!

This week we dive into a very important topic not often talked about in our community, mental health. We are joined by Alex Flores, a trained and licensed counselor and therapist. He brings his unique insight and answers some of the questions that we may have been fearing before taking the crucial step of asking for help. Alex also provided some resources that anyone can use to begin their journey to getting the help they or a family member may need. https://crisis.solari-inc.org/ (https://crisis.solari-inc.org/) Crisis line: 1-800-631-1314   GENERAL INFORMATION, online or call will connect you to available reources https://211arizona.org/ (https://211arizona.org/)   Maricopa Agencies https://www.valledelsol.com/ (https://www.valledelsol.com/)  https://www.nativehealthphoenix.org/ (https://www.nativehealthphoenix.org/)  https://www.baylesshealthcare.com/ (https://www.baylesshealthcare.com/)  https://www.sbhservices.org/ (https://www.sbhservices.org/)  https://wesleycenterphx.org/ (https://wesleycenterphx.org/)  https://cplc.org/ (https://cplc.org/)

On this special episode we discuss the recently prepared documentary on the Dreamer Narrative by our own Karina Dominguez. What some of the challenges were and the positive messaging she hopes will come through. We also discuss the Dreamer Narrative discussion panel hosted by Fuerte alongside some of the brave people involved in the immigration movement and in the documentary itself. Full documentary can be found below: https://youtu.be/zKkBdyv-Vzc

What were the main talking points from the Governor's State of the State Address? We'll give you a hint...it doesn't involve our community in a major way. We are also joined by Denise Alvarez, local teacher to tell us her story being an undocumented student, a graduated DACAmented educator, and a community leader for our students.

Today we welcome Eddie Chavez Calderon from Arizona Jews for Justice to discuss his start to his career. What he does for refugees in the communities, asylum seekers, and other immigrants that need support. More updates on the Build Back Better plan and more!

This week we took a trip to Washington DC to send a message loud and clear to our senators that enough is enough. We hear from some of the bravest people in the movement who share their stories of why they fight and who they fight for. We are encouraged to continue in the struggle and also to bring others along. For more info on how to get involved please visit fuerte.org follow on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fuerteaz/ https://www.facebook.com/FuerteAZ

This week we interview Profesora Eileen Diaz McConnell to get her point of view on the militarization happening now at the border. We discuss what militarization actually is and examples that we might not think about on a daily basis. She also provided some excellent sources for us to follow and educate ourselves. https://www.migrationpolicy.org/news/2021-migration-us-mexico-border https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/topics/immigration-101

Danny Orona and Carlos Navarro welcome guest host Karina Dominguez of Fuerte for a discussion on the Dreamer Narrative. For almost 2 decades young immigrants have been described using the term "Dreamers", invoking the american dream of doing well in school and going to college but what many people don't understand is the amount of people left out or otherwise negatively affected by the term. Through this discussion we explore what we might not have thought about this once inspirational term.

Danny Orona and Carlos Navarro have a conversation with Haddy Gassama, the Policy and Advocacy Director for UndocuBlack Network and Legislative Strategy Manager for We Are Home Campaign. She answers our questions regarding how the reconciliation bill affects the immigrant community in Arizona. What is Parole? Who qualifies for it? What benefits does it provide, and what does it not provide? She answers all these questions and more!

Co-Hosts Danny Orona and Carlos Yañez Navarro talk about growing up in Arizona, the news about Build Back Better, immigration reform through reconciliation, and the parliamentarian. It's time for Democrats to come together and give relief to the 11 million undocumented immigrants!