It’s time to feature some news items I wrote down in my notebook that I think are newsworthy for our growing list of subscribers and social media followers, now reaching a combined audience of 25,000. But before I share them, I want to mention a few editorial mistakes I made while prepping some of The Latino Newsletter’s daily posts over the last week.

On Tuesday, one of my fellow board members for The Latino Newsletter, William D. Lopez, announced his new book, “Raiding the Heartland: An American Story of Deportation and Resistance.” I was thrilled for Bill, but that thrill was quickly gone after I cut and pasted the wrong link for the book and emailed our post to our subscribers. Here is the corrected link.

Speaking of bad links, I also incorrectly formatted my email [email protected] in last week’s notebook post.

My apologies to Bill and all our newsletter subscribers. We’re only human.

The team at LatinoJustice PRLDEF sent me news about two cases that are relevant to the moment.

First, the organization has sued the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for withholding records on immigration enforcement actions that allegedly targeted Puerto Ricans. The lawsuit follows a February FOIA request seeking ICE policies, training materials, and incident reports tied to raids in Puerto Rican communities — including in New Jersey, Milwaukee, Pennsylvania, and the Barrio Obrero neighborhood in San Juan.

More about the case here from El Diario.

In another case, LatinoJustice is joining the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) in a legal fight to defend the federal Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) program. The two groups have filed a motion to intervene in a Tennessee lawsuit backed by Students for Fair Admissions—the same group behind the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision that ended affirmative action. The suit claims the HSI designation, which applies to schools where at least 25 percent of students are Latino, is discriminatory. HACU and LatinoJustice argue that the program is vital for expanding college access, benefiting all students, and addressing persistent racial and economic disparities in higher education.

Inside Higher Ed has a good story about it here.

Tecnológico de Monterrey sent me a press release about a new Nature Food article warning that U.S. tariffs on Mexican agricultural products could destabilize the North American food supply.

“The food system between Mexico and the United States is highly integrated, and its fragility in the face of political decisions puts at risk not only the availability of fresh food, but also economic equity and environmental sustainability in both countries,” warns Tecnológico de Monterrey researcher Daniel Alberto Jacobo-Velázquez, who wrote the article.

Proposals, such as a 25% tariff on Mexican imports and the termination of the U.S.-Mexico tomato agreement, are already disrupting prices, contracts, and logistics. Mexico supplies most of the avocados, tomatoes, berries, and chili peppers consumed in the U.S.

To avoid a deeper crisis, Jacobo-Velázquez urges opening new export markets, improving cross-border infrastructure, and adopting long-term policies that support small farmers through subsidies, insurance, and financing. He also calls for more resilient farming practices, along with research and early-warning systems to anticipate disruptions.

“Beyond the political juncture, this is a key moment to rethink the resilience of our regional and global food systems,” Jacobo-Velázquez notes.

You can read the full article here.

If you like the idea of a reporter’s notebook type of post, let us know and send any ideas our way. You can email me here anytime. I read them all. I really do.

Another Junta Firing: On Wednesday, the Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico (FOMB) issued this statement:

Biggs, a Republican appointed to the original board by President Obama in 2016, is now the sixth member of the seven-member board to be fired by the Trump Administration. Carlos Berríos Polanco filed a story last week about what the firing of the first five members would mean.

Last week, Biggs did express solidarity with those who were fired.

Julio Ricardo Varela is the founder of The Latino Newsletter. He is also its current part-time publisher and executive director. Email him here.

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