[logo sonoro] [música dinámica] PATRICIA GÓMEZ: Hola, soy Patricia Gómez.

Hoy en Adelante, tres conversaciones clave que le impactarán.

El abogado de la ACLU, Timothy Muth, discute la seguridad y las pandillas en El Salvador, así como la política de deportación Estados Unidos-El Salvador.

La representante de la legislatura de Wisconsin por el distrito 8, Sylvia Ortiz-Velez, habla sobre una resolución conjunta que honra y reconoce las importantes contribuciones de los veteranos latinos de Wisconsin.

Además, un segmento exclusivo con el muralista Reynaldo Hernández.

Acompáñenos.

[logo sonoro] PATRICIA GÓMEZ: Nuestro primer invitado aporta una perspectiva única trabajando en temas de libertades civiles y derechos humanos.

Nos acompaña nuevamente Timothy Muth, abogado de la ACLU, quien está aquí para discutir el desafío legal contra el uso de la ley de enemigos extranjeros, Alien Enemies Act, por parte de la administración Trump, y las deportaciones masivas a la notoria mega prisión de El Salvador.

[music] TIMOTHY MUTH: In March of this year, the Trump administration chose to deport almost 140 Venezuelans claiming power to do so under a law from 1798 called the Alien Enemies Act, which allows persons to be removed from the country during times of war or an invasion.

And the Trump administration was claiming that the presence of these Venezuelan persons who the Trump administration claimed were gang members was some kind of an invasion.

That was wrong for two reasons.

It was wrong one because it wasn't an invasion in the sense of that law, the Alien Enemies Act.

But it was also wrong because these primarily young men from Venezuela were never given any opportunity in a court or someplace else to show that they weren't even members of a gang.

They were completely deprived of their rights to due process and to challenge that, so it was wrong in two different ways.

So I live half time in El Salvador and I have watched that country, which has unfortunately moved more and more becoming an authoritarian country.

The current president, Nayib Bukele, has captured the presidency and has all control over the legislature and the Supreme Court.

And he made this bargain with the United States where he said he would open up his mega prison in the country if Donald Trump wanted to deport people from any other country in the world, and Donald Trump chose to send Venezuelans.

In return, Nayib Bukele received, his government, I should say, received $6 million reportedly, but he also, the U.S.

government sending back some Salvadoran gang members who were being criminally charged in the United States and were potentially going to testify about corrupt bargains that Nayib Boukele, the president of El Salvador had made with those gangs, corrupt bargains to help him get elected and corrupt bargains to lower the homicide rate in the country in return for benefits in prison.

PATRICIA GÓMEZ: What do you see in this situation where some of these informants, people who are testifying and they are protected by the laws of the United States and surely they are betrayed by our laws and sent to a government that is, as you say, demonstrating a total state of dictatorship?

TIMOTHY MUTH: Yes, the U.S.

Justice Department had been investigating MS-13, this terrible gang that inflicts pain both in El Salvador and in the United States, and that investigation had led to leaders of that gang being indicted in federal court in New York.

And some of those gang members had agreed to testify against the other members of the gang and to testify about corrupt bargains they had made with the government of El Salvador.

Well, the government of El Salvador and President Bukele didn't want that testimony to come out.

So persuaded Marco Rubio, our Secretary of State and the Trump administration to send those witnesses back to El Salvador rather than have them testify in a U.S.

court.

And in return, El Salvador said, "And if you want to send us your prisoners that you want us to put into our prisons, we're happy to do that too."

It's just a corrupt bargain by both sides all the way around.

PATRICIA GÓMEZ: What consequences are coming after this resolution for future cases?

TIMOTHY MUTH: If the government shows that it's willing to break those promises, it's not going to get that kind of cooperation and it makes it harder to do these kinds of investigations that are important in the future.

PATRICIA GÓMEZ: And what does it say about our federal government, Attorney Muth, on regards making deals with a president like Bukele?

TIMOTHY MUTH: I think what we are seeing with the Trump administration is that it has a fondness for authoritarian governments, and whether it is Nayib Bukele, who was the first president from Latin America to be invited to the White House after President Trump won re-election in 2024.

These are relationships that are only built around power.

They are not built around human rights or respect for human rights.

Human rights doesn't seem to have any place in U.S.

foreign policy under this current government.

PATRICIA GÓMEZ: What is the legal participation at this moment specifically about this established relationship and this breaking of civil rights of so many in the deals between these two presidencies?

TIMOTHY MUTH: National ACLU has been advocating for the Venezuelans who were sent to the prison in El Salvador.

After they were sent to the prison in El Salvador, another deal got made and the Venezuelans were allowed to go to Venezuela, released from the prison.

But for many of them they were fleeing Venezuela.

So the ACLU is advocating for them to be able to come back to the United States to get the due process.

I think we have to expect to see advocacy for rights taking place in at least three different places.

One is in the courts.

Lawyers continue to advocate for the rights guaranteed by the Constitution.

The second is at the polling places.

There will be elections for Congress in 2026 that may change the balance of power in the United States House of Representatives and the Senate.

And then the third place is in the streets, in demonstrations that show that there are millions of people who have a different view, a different vision of what democracy can be in the United States.

And those are things that are shared not just by the people in the United States but views of people in El Salvador and in Latin America throughout the world.

These are basic fundamental human rights that people advocate for against what authoritarians want to accomplish.

I hope that people realize just what a crisis we are currently facing that may be more severe than during my lifetime, the crisis of erosion of democratic protections in the United States.

I've watched them evaporate in the country of El Salvador, and they evaporated very quickly.

And there are now tens of thousands of innocent people in prisons in El Salvador.

I hope and trust that the United States does not follow that same direction.

I think everyone should look for a way to get involved and that doesn't mean necessarily getting involved politically.

It means caring for your community, caring for your neighborhood.

Each person deserving of respect is imbued with a set of rights.

Educate yourself and find a way that you can help care for the neighbors in your community.

The No Kings rallies that we just saw with 7 million people across the United States coming out.

No violence at all.

Instead it was a demonstration of that key value of solidarity.

I do think that people are, one of the positives is people recognizing the need for solidarity and reaching out and letting know Latino and Latina neighbors that you are not alone to the extent that message is heard and shared that that is a positive.

[music] PATRICIA GÓMEZ: Hoy regresa al programa la representante de la legislatura de Wisconsin por el distrito 8, Sylvia Ortiz-Velez, para hablar sobre una resolución conjunta que honra y reconoce las importantes contribuciones de los veteranos latinos de Wisconsin.

SYLVIA ORTIZ-VELEZ: It was so important for us to acknowledge and remember the tremendous sacrifices our Wisconsin Hispanic and Latino veterans.

We honored their dedication, and we honored their service to both the state of Wisconsin and the United States of America.

It's also about their families and to the call of duty and also paid the heavy weight of their sacrifice to our nation.

This resolution is deeply personal.

My late husband, Andres Velez Moreno, he was one of those brave soldiers.

He was a proud American who served our country with honor and distinction in the US Army first Calvary.

In addition to that, it is so important at a time like this.

We have seen all these negative images and false narratives about the Latino community.

It was wonderful to see the assembly in the state.

I recognize and acknowledge Hispanic and Latino Americans because we have served in U.S.

military conflicts since the Civil War, and we continue to do so with honor and distinctions.

You know, it showcases and it shows people parts of our community that remind all of us of our shared values like service to community in our country.

From here, my hope is that we take a look at the legislation allowing people who have DACA status to be licensed in our state for different occupational licensing.

I believe that the time is now to make that change, and I'm hopeful that we will see that happen in the near future.

PATRICIA GÓMEZ: There has been other efforts, Sylvia, on the Hispanic Caucus to consolidate an honor to these Latino veterans.

What is the difference in between the two efforts and what is your point of view on this resolution that you have accomplished with a group of your colleagues?

SYLVIA ORTIZ-VELEZ: Yes, I think, you know, it's been my experience in the house to start off with a great bipartisan group of people from the very beginning, and I would like to thank Representative Kurtz, Representative Rodriguez, Representative Rivera Wagner, Senator Cabral-Guevara, and Senator James and myself put out the resolution initially.

And usually when you start with a bipartisan group, you hope to attract bipartisan support.

I took that approach in this resolution because I know that that's the way things should be done and they get done a lot better when you start by bringing everyone, you know, together.

PATRICIA GÓMEZ: About the preservation of Hispanic veterans' narratives at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum, what specific funding or programs will you observe, will expand the collection, will provide access and public awareness about the Latino veterans' oral histories?

SYLVIA ORTIZ-VELEZ: Well, in Wisconsin, there are over 8,500 Hispanic and Latino veterans.

We also have served in U.S.

conflicts since at least the Civil War.

Also, Hispanic veterans in Wisconsin appear in oral history collections at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum where they have preserved the service narratives and families' histories of Hispanic and Latino Wisconsinites.

I have always and I will continue to be supportive of any efforts to improve conditions for mental health, housing, and any other addiction services needed, and any education services needed for our veterans in any way we can support them.

PATRICIA GÓMEZ: The resolution highlights the high rate of service, 19.5% nationally.

How will you use this statistic to elevate the distinct needs that Latino veterans are facing within the assembly committee on veterans and military affairs moving forward?

SYLVIA ORTIZ-VELEZ: My concern is for all of our veterans in our state and certainly in our country, and a large amount that, 20 almost 20% is Latino, and identify as Latino.

We have the shared values, but we also have a lot of the shared problems, you know, with the rest of the population in our state that serve our country.

So coming together and fixing the problems that we all share is where we need to start working things together, going forward.

PATRICIA GÓMEZ: What will you tell our community, our Latino community and our audience about how to participate, how to be involved in efforts like yours for these veterans and their families, Sylvia?

SYLVIA ORTIZ-VELEZ: I think it's important to make sure that you get to know who your legislator is all across the state, not only your state legislator, but your county board supervisors, your aldermen, to let them know that you have a voice, that you're at the table, you're paying attention to the stuff that they're working on.

And you can do that in many different ways, sending emails, phone calls, going to community meetings, being engaged in your local community, wherever you are in the state of Wisconsin.

There are Latinos and Hispanics all across our state, and just regular people who care about their neighbors and their friends and their families, and all together, we can make the difference for a better quality of life for all of us.

PATRICIA GÓMEZ: Sylvia, how do you feel after being successful, moving some assembly bills?

How do you feel on how you are moving forward?

SYLVIA ORTIZ-VELEZ: I feel, thank you for the question.

I feel excited about the future.

I think that there's a lot of possibilities and opportunities.

You know, all of us together, we can find the common ground, we can work together.

I really have hope that things are going to work out for the better for all of us.

We just have to keep remembering that we're all in this together and work together and talk to each other.

PATRICIA GÓMEZ: Sylvia, these are very difficult times for the Latino community.

We all are being targeted for very negative federal forces, including mostly immigration, but there is also an environment of racism and hate.

What do you hear in the assembly, in your daily work?

SYLVIA ORTIZ-VELEZ: I think that people are relating more to our community and we have to continue to talk to people and share who we are so that people can see that we are just like everyone else.

And we're part of our communities.

We contribute.

We love this country.

We love our communities and we are people of faith and that we're hardworking.

And we care a lot about our neighbors and we're your neighbors too.

So my hope is that people can see the humanity in all of us.

PATRICIA GÓMEZ: There are rallies where the general community is talking about other races, other groups support the undocumented.

What is your reaction to this positive embrace that the general community is giving to Latinos?

SYLVIA ORTIZ-VELEZ: I think it's a sign that people are remembering our humanity and that we're remembering that we need to care for each other.

So for me it's a hopeful sign and I hope it continues.

[music] PATRICIA GÓMEZ: El artista Reynaldo Hernández es un maestro del arte urbano y muralista de renombre.

A través de sus ojos somos testigos de cómo una sola pincelada puede transformar una pared en una obra de arte con mensaje de comunidad y narrativa de herencia y esperanza.

Veamos, esta es una historia a través de la lente y creatividad de nuestro dedicado colega y director de The Arts Page de Milwaukee PBS, Adam Lilly.

REYNALDO HERNANDEZ: I was told I was born with a pencil in my hand.

My mother said it was a God-given talent, so I shouldn't waste it.

In other words, pursue it.

I was amazed with the school because they had an aeronautics department, had an airplane on a ceiling in the building.

So that was really like, you can learn any kind of skill.

School cartoonists had boys tech, took commercial art, took photography, learned film over there, designing the graphics for on-air and the print graphics for newspaper.

I do a lot of teaching with kids, artists in residence.

I did like mafia trials.

I did all kinds of hijackings.

It was pretty exciting and kind of a little scary because they would turn around and look at you.

You had to be quick and you couldn't have cameras in.

I couldn't even draw there.

I had to like look at them in my mind, go out in the hallway and then recreate it.

I was a young kid, but it was exciting.

And then I was auditioned in Orlando and became a character artist.

We're still doing it, me and my kids.

That's why I tell my kids, learn the old school way.

When things modern, technology breaks down, you still know how to use things using your brain, your hand and your mind.

So now they're doing the same thing, most of them.

My oldest daughter is named Rozalia.

These are very good muralists.

ROZALIA HERNANDEZ: I think I was about 13 years old when I started to work with them.

He still is always in my ear.

He was always in my ear telling me, You can do this, you should do this.

I didn't realize, I guess, the impact that he had on people until I was an adult.

And I had so many people that grew up with me who became artists.

They would tell me that my dad had a huge influence on them.

And they said that he made them feel like it was possible to become an artist.

REYNALDO HERNANDEZ: My father is from Mexico and their great Mexican muralists that revived the modern mural movement came from Mexico.

They are called "Los Tres Grandes" - "The Three Greats", like Diego Rivera, Orozco and Siqueiros.

If you count a mural as the painting on tipis as a mural, paintings in the Egyptian tombs, those are murals really telling a story.

So it goes up and down through history.

So the civil rights movement in the '60s brought it back to the U.S.

You are a person of color.

So you went to placards and marching and then drawing on the sidewalks and then doing murals.

So that was my impetus.

My first mural was indoors.

My brother Ramon had a house party and so in six hours I painted who I really liked was Sophia Loren.

I said I should have got permission from my father.

It was his house.

I guess it was there for a while.

I guess he accepted it, but he was strict.

Navy man.

A mural of peace.

It was in a Hispanic Latino neighborhood and so they appreciate murals as part of the culture.

That mural, if you look at it, they think it's painted on the wall but it's 285 4x8 panels laid down put together.

I got on the freeway before I painted it and counted how many seconds when you first saw the building, drove up close and when you don't see it.

That was 11 seconds.

So I said I got to make images large so you don't like try to figure out what it is and hit somebody in front of you.

That was, that's how I thought my brain worked.

And so Richard told me, you know, to show the diversity of the South Side and the pride and the concerns of the South Side.

And I said, that's the same thing we have on the North Side and the whole city of Milwaukee.

So I expanded it locally then it went to national, international.

Above you see like the flag of the US.

The stars turn into the flag and if you go three flags up or go one down you see another country.

And so that took a little while in research.

The rainbow was a symbol of different colors or different communities or different groups banding together in harmony.

And the bottom you see like little cutouts like paper towels.

The world is divided so I don't want to show that we should be together instead of being divided.

So I put a lightning right in the middle in back of the dove.

That's a symbol of tension in the world.

So we want peace but we're still striving for it.

So people read into murals.

They can see one thing somebody else can look at a mural and see something else.

My mother taught me when I was little that no country or no person or no ethnic, no culture is any better than the other.

We all have a lot to contribute to each other.

I'll tribute to a united community.

But this one now shows has a Mitchell Park Dome.

It has a pyramid and then you learn that before you know you learn about the Americas.

That America is not just North America but it's South America.

See different culture and different setting.

SAMANTHA MICHALSKI: It's an award from MCHS where we are celebrating public art here in Milwaukee County.

And it's really about art that not only enhances neighborhoods and transforms those normal spaces into landmarks.

But also tells a story, tells the history of our community.

REYNALDO HERNANDEZ: I was one of three finalists so they emailed me say you're a finalist.

I'll say yeah sure I'm not going to win it.

SAMANTHA MICHALSKI: Mural of Peace has really stood the test of time.

It's been around for over 30 years.

It is such an iconic landmark of our city.

Everybody knows the eagle and the dove.

It's about unity, hope, the diversity of our community.

REYNALDO HERNANDEZ: I was surprised and happy also.

It's a great honor.

Next year will be another muralist.

Get the award.

We can make the city of Milwaukee better.

There's one article in the Milwaukee Journal.

They put in there what I had a quote back then.

I said I wanted to be the first artist to do a mural on the moon.

The great artists that kept going and that's what kept them going.

So as long as I have my health I'm still moving.

I'm mobile [music] PATRICIA GÓMEZ: Y con un hasta pronto nos despedimos invitándolos a que nos dejen saber sus comentarios por el teléfono 414-297-7544 o a que visite nuestro sitio web en milwaukeepbs.org y en nuestras redes sociales.

Soy Patricia Gómez, deseándoles en estas fiestas, paz y bendiciones.

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