News to Watch in 2015 – The New Year begins with both Houses of Congress controlled by the Republican Party. The new conservative majority has threatened to block executive action on immigration, the new policy toward Cuba, and proposals to increase federal minimum wage. These political battles will occur in the context of the countdown toward the presidential elections of 2016. Our correspondent in the nation’s capital, José López Zamorano, brings us a comment about the news to watch in 2015.
California Begins to Give Driver’s Licenses to Undocumented Immigrants – On January 1st, California’s law that allows undocumented immigrants to apply for driver’s licenses goes into effect. Thousands have already signed up for appointments and the Department of Motor Vehicles, or DMV, has opened more offices and hired hundreds of officials to assist the estimated million and a half new applicants expected in the next three years. The state spokesperson for the Department, Armando Botello, spoke with Samuel Orozco on Línea Abierta about what immigrants should keep in mind when applying for a driver’s license.
Zapotec Migrants Celebrate Patron Saint’s Day in U.S. – Migrants from the state of Oaxaca, in southern Mexico, have organized in California’s Central Valley to recreate their hometowns’ patron saints’ festivals on this side of the border. The organizers seek to offer a celebration that in addition to professing Catholic faith, promotes the traditions of each town. On December 27th, immigrants from the Zapotec town of Coatecas Altas organized their sixth annual festival in Madera, California. The townspeople honor St. John the Evangelist with a mass, followed by a traditional dance with giant figures called “marmotas”. Juan Santiago, who is from Coatecas Altas and was one of the first organizers of this event, brings us this story from this year’s Fiesta del Pueblo. This feature is part of our series “Raíces: Stories About Grassroots Artists.”
