The first weekend of 2026 started with the news that the United States had captured Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro. For this episode of The Latino Newsletter podcast, host Michelle Zacarias welcomes Juan Escalante, an immigrant rights advocate, digital strategist, and storyteller who was born in Venezuela and is now a U.S. citizen.

Juan has been actively writing and creating videos this week about the country’s uncertain path, and he also shares his thoughts on the ICE killing of Renée Nicole Good.

This episode was produced by Joaquín Cotler, Juan Diego Ramirez, and Michelle Zacarias. It was edited by Julio Ricardo Varela. Music by Cast of Characters via Soundstripe.

Season 2 of The Latino Newsletter podcast was made possible through individual donations and the ⁠⁠⁠Latino Media Consortium⁠⁠⁠.

Featured image: Venezuelans in Buenos Aires, Argentina, celebrating the U.S. capture of Nicolás Maduro, January 3, 2026 (Photo by Roberto Fiadone, CC BY 4.0)

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the guests and hosts, and don't necessarily reflect those of The Latino Newsletter or its staff.

In this episode, Andrea Flores reflects on her journey as an immigration lawyer and policy advocate, sharing firsthand insights from her work in both the Obama and Biden administrations.

She discusses the challenges of navigating a broken immigration system, the creation of DACA, and how the Biden administration may have paved the way for deportations under Trump. The conversation explores the evolving landscape at the U.S. border, the political complexities facing lawmakers, and the power of local communities to drive change when national leadership falls short.

For more about Andrea's work, visit her America’s Promise Substack.

This episode was produced by Joaquín Cotler, Juan Diego Ramirez, and Michelle Zacarias. It was edited by Julio Ricardo Varela. Music by Cast of Characters via Soundstripe.

Season 2 of The Latino Newsletter podcast was made possible through individual donations and the ⁠⁠Latino Media Consortium⁠⁠.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the guests and hosts, and don't necessarily reflect those of The Latino Newsletter or its staff.

For our latest episode, The Latino Newsletter and El Planeta teams interview Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey about Latino communities in the state and what they are experiencing in 2025. This episode marks the start of a new bilingual partnership between the two outlets. Reporters Rosanna Marinelli and Liza Martin Carfi, along with The Latino Newsletter founder Julio Ricardo Varela, share their thoughts about the interview.

Read the full story at The Latino Newsletter. Para la versión en español, visita El Planeta.

This episode was produced by Joaquín Cotler, Julio Ricardo Varela, Juan Diego Ramirez, and Michelle Zacarias. It was edited by Julio Ricardo Varela.
Music by Cast of Characters via Soundstripe and Joaquín Cotler.

Season 2 of The Latino Newsletter podcast was made possible through individual donations and the ⁠Latino Media Consortium⁠.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the guests and hosts, and don't necessarily reflect those of The Latino Newsletter or its staff.