VOCES

While Manuel Valenzuela heads east to Washington D.C., his brother Valente Valenzuela heads south to Chihuahua, Mexico to self-deport and live in exile. Valente shares the emotional turmoil he has faced since receiving his removal notice — including his suicidal thoughts. “This is not what America is supposed to be,” Valente says. He tosses his war medals into the Rio Grande in disappointment.

Ashley Sietsema was 20 years old when she was deployed to Kuwait. Her mother, Olivia Segura, recalls receiving the news her daughter died. Amid grief, her husband was caught drinking and driving and has been scheduled for deportation. Segura says she fights for the rights of fallen veterans’ families because her family's pain is a result of the sacrifice her daughter made for this country.

Zahid Chaudry joined the military after coming to the U.S. from Pakistan on a tourist visa. He was trampled in bootcamp training and is now in a wheelchair. His citizenship request is denied for failing to disclose misdemeanors from his time in Australia and a documentation mishap while volunteering at his local police department. His wife Anne is crushed when his deportation order moves forward.

When Manuel Valenzuela finds out his brother also receives a letter of deportation, he is shocked and says, “Join the club, brother.” Both had minor offenses on their record, which landed them in deportation court decades later. They decide to fight together and hit the local newscast to share their story and start a movement to stop the deportation of fellow veterans.

When Manuel Valenzuela went to Vietnam with the U.S. Marine Corps in 1971, he was 19 years old. He wears his uniform proudly to attend an event in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he announces his trip to Washington to deliver a letter requesting the president takes action to stop the deportation of veterans.

Brothers Manuel and Valente Valenzuela both volunteered and fought in Vietnam. Fifty years later they are among thousands of veterans who are being deported. The brothers don their uniforms for one last fight, to bring all the veterans back home.

"Paradiso" marked José Lezama Lima as a writer too independent to be trusted by a government that required full compliance. Cuba censored his work as a result of the novel and suspicions that he was gay. Despite being forbidden in his own country, the novel was translated and revered worldwide. The poet grew hopeless as attempts to travel abroad were thwarted by denied exit visas.

Poet José Lezama Lima published his long-awaited novel "Paradiso" in 1966, revealing with it scenes that mirrored his own life and secrets he kept for decades. The novel was considered an exaltation of family as the center of human life. In the same way, it was considered an unprecedented invitation to think about being human in an erotic way, making it a source of scandal upon publication.

Based on correspondence with his sister in exile, "Letters to Eloisa" recounts the life of Cuban literary great José Lezama Lima, author of a homoerotic novel, "Paradiso," and tells the story of his silencing by the Cuban revolutionary government.

Border communities are often overlooked by campaigns, despite their growing importance in Texas and National politics. During Super Tuesday, Amanda Salas, talks about campaigning and how reaching out in a culturally competent way is crucial to reaching the Rio Grande Valley community.

Get an inside look at the high-stakes effort to turn out the Latino vote in this year’s election. Alex Birnel, advocacy manager of MOVE Texas, discusses registering voters.

Get an inside look at the high-stakes effort to turn out the Latino vote in this year’s election. Andrea Mercado, executive director of New Florida Majority, on Florida being a critical battleground state.

Ahead of Super Tuesday, Chris Chu de León, Texas State director for Bernie Sanders’ 2020 campaign, explains why the inclusive message of the Vermont Senator inspired a multicultural and young coalition of supporters. As volunteers prepare to launch a final bilingual canvassing effort before the primaries, we see how the campaign is trying to empower everyday people.

Ahead of the 2020 Nevada caucuses, Mi Familia Vota works to register young voters in this key battleground state. Organizers go to high schools and supermarkets in the heart of the Latino community; engaging and educating this electorate with the hopes of a historic turnout for this young and growing demographic.

Get an inside look at the high-stakes effort to turn out the Latino vote in this year’s election. Hear from Dr. Gabriel Salguero, founder of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition.

While the country grapples with racial injustices, Afro-Latinos are often overlooked in media and politics. Ilia Calderón, author and Univision anchor, talks about the Black Lives Matter movement, and the need for visibility and representation.

Get an inside look at the high-stakes effort to get out the Latino vote in the 2020 election. Political candidates are focused on maximizing turnout and support from Latinos, poised to be the largest non-white voting bloc.

Construction worker Roendy Granillo was 25 years old when he died from heat stroke on the job. His family recounts the day he died. Looking at pictures of Roendy in his room as he left it, Roendy’s parents reflect on the lack of information they had that could have prevented Roendy’s death.

Across Texas an unstoppable construction boom drives urban sprawl and luxury high-rises. Its dirty secret: abuse of immigrant labor. The film captures a turning point as a movement forms to fight widespread construction industry injustices. A story of courage, resilience and community, the film reveals shocking truths about the hardworking immigrants who build the American Dream.

Another death of a construction worker on the job in Austin fuels the need for change in the industry. Workers are moved to tell their own stories of struggle with the hope to empower workers across the state to stand up against unsafe and exploitative working conditions.