Leslie Berestein Rojas Immigration and Emerging Communities Reporter
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Leslie Berestein Rojas is KPCC's Immigration and Emerging Communities Reporter.
An award-winning journalist with several years’ experience reporting on immigration issues, Berestein Rojas most recently covered immigration on the U.S.-Mexico border for the San Diego Union-Tribune. She has retraced the steps of migrants along desert smuggling trails, investigated immigrant detention contractors, and told the stories of families left behind in Mexico’s migrant-sending towns.
A native of Cuba raised in Los Angeles, Leslie has also written for Time, People, the Orange County Register and the Los Angeles Times. She has reported from Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.
Stories by Leslie Berestein Rojas
In the news this morning: Immigration enforcement cuts, ICE settlement, Villaraigosa as Dem convention chair, Muslim high fashion, more
Immigration enforcement faces modest cuts in Obama budget plan - Houston Chronicle Some cuts are suggested for Homeland Security immigration enforcement efforts in President Obama's fiscal year 2013 proposed budget, although the E-Verify employee status-check program is getting a boost.
Need a last-minute pink teddy bear? Try one of L.A.'s curbside cupids
Ever wonder who the people are who camp out with their displays on the curb, selling flowers and stuffed animals late into the evening every Valentine's Day? A couple of them tell their stories in this piece from last year, which I'm reposting as I hit the road to buy my own last-minute gifts:
What 287(g) is, and why the feds prefer Secure Communities
A Homeland Security budget proposal released yesterday recommends what seems to be a gradual phase-out of a program known as 287(g), a voluntary federal-local immigration enforcement partnership that preceded the more controversial, but less costly (and mandatory) Secure Communities fingerprint-sharing program.
Sheriff's Dept. reiterates to Miramonte parents: No questions about immigration status
Last week, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department promised to keep putting out the message to parents of students in South Los Angeles' Miramonte Elementary School that they would not be questioned about their immigration status if they came forward with information about possible crimes against their children.
In the news this morning: DHS budget proposes 287(g) cutback, California's affirmative action appeal, Alabama immigration law's costs, more
DHS budget proposes discontinuing 287(g) in some jurisdictions - Southern California Public Radio The Obama administration's Homeland Security budget proposal for fiscal year 2013 recommends slashing $17 million from the voluntary federal-local immigration enforcement partnership known as 287(g), but favors the mandatory Secure Communities.
Need a last-minute teddy bear? Try one of LA’s curbside Cupids
Ever wonder who the people are who camp out with their displays on the curb, selling flowers and stuffed animals late into the evening every Valentine’s Day?
DHS budget proposes discontinuing 287(g) in some jurisdictions
A fiscal year 2013 budget brief released by Homeland Security today has some details on the Obama administration's immigration enforcement priorities, and one of the losers is the federal-local partnership known as 287(g).
'I can only imagine now': More conversations with our immigrant parents
A candid and often moving discussion that began on this site recently, in response to a fictional father-son conversation in a film, has taken on a life of its own.
'I can’t get these images out of my mind': Syrian Americans on revolution, death and social media
As violence between Syrian government forces and anti-government rebels spreads, it's having emotional repercussions in Southern California, where Syrian immigrant families have been trying their best to follow the events remotely.
Obama Administration proposes $17 million immigration enforcement cut
The administration is proposing a budget reduction of $17 million to 287(g) and suggests a gradual phase-out in favor of Secure Communities.
Explaining the growth of the Latino labor force
Several recent stories have addressed how as the U.S. economy begins a slow rebound, a large share of the job growth is going to Latinos. The picture isn't all rosy, as some of this has to do with many of the jobs being filled being lower-paying ones, which immigrants are more likely to take.
In the news this morning: Affirmative action goes back to court, state immigration updates in Arizona and Alabama, from China to Iowa, more
Federal court to hear renewed challenge to California's affirmative action ban - San Jose Mercury News The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals is getting ready to hear the latest challenge to Proposition 209, which banned affirmative action programs in California after voters approved it in 1996.
Posts of the week: 'Upscale Latinos,' the rights of undocumented crime victims, why English-language content is the big thing now, more
It's been a busy week here in Multi-Americanlandia. An evolving crime story in South Los Angeles involving families and children has led to a discussion of undocumented crime victims' rights (which they do have), large media outlets have continue to woo Latinos in English (because yes, they speak it, and they have money), and politicos and candidates around the world, not only in the U.
Should 'African American' refer to black Americans, to immigrants from Africa, or to both?
There are African Americans, as in the term long used by many to refer to black Americans, and there are African Americans, as in immigrants from Africa and their families. One blanket label, two groups with very different histories and identities.
Why English-language content for Latinos is the future
Photo by jgoge/Flickr (Creative Commons)
