Latino USA

Being a new parent comes with a series of challenges—one being the decision whether or not to teach your child a second language.

Today on Latino USA, we share the second episode of “Chess Piece: The Elián González Story,”  a new podcast from Futuro Studios and iHeartMedia.

Twenty five years after a young Cuban boy named Elián González was rescued from the sea, we revisit his story.

In 1945, 20-year-old Anthony Acevedo was held in captivity with other American soldiers inside a Nazi concentration camp called Berga.

We sit down with Rubén Blades, to discuss music, politics, and his long career.

Maria Hinojosa brings together three Latino journalists; John Quiñones, Maria Elena Salinas, and Paola Ramos. They get into the state of journalism, conservatism, and the 2024 Latino Vote.

Ernesto talks about his healing —and journalistic— journey with psychedelics.

Latino USA brings you the launch of In The Thick’s new popup season—to help you break down this unprecedented political moment and what it means for our communities and our futures.

Maria Hinojosa travels to San Diego to explore how inflation is impacting the price of a taco. She also talks with a single mom about how her finances might influence her vote in November.

A conversation with Irene Vallejo, author of “Papyrus: The Invention of Books in the Ancient World,” on connecting millions of readers across the world with the very long history of caring for books.

In Part 2 of The Moving Border, we visit Tapachula, Mexico in search of a young man whose life is in danger.

"Making Movies" is a rock band based out of Kansas City, they talk with Latino USA about their unique sound and collaboration with Rubén Blades.

In this 2-part investigation The Moving Border, Latino USA delves into the increasing pressure put on refugees seeking safety in the United States via its southern border.

In this “How I Made It,” Erik Rodriguez takes us through his transformation into Cimafunk.

Gun violence is a top voting issue for Latinos and Latinas this election cycle.

Draco Rosa talks about his career, his battle with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Hurricane María, and the creation of Monte Sagrado.

We travel to eastern New Mexico to meet Latinas and Latinos who have mobilized politically for and against abortion in the region.

The story of Daniel Zamora who remade his life after being deported from the U.S. to Mexico.

The Mortgage Wall: An investigation into what makes it harder for Latinos and Latinas to overcome mortgage lending barriers and achieve homeownership.

Cuban Singer, songwriter and composer Daymé Arocena shares how she creates music that doesn’t fit easily into a box.

Latino USA explores the relationship between the construction of Dodger Stadium and the displacement of the Mexican-American community in the 1950s.

For this ‘How I Made It’, we sit down with cultural icon Alaska to speak about her career and how her song became a pride anthem all over Latin America.

On the heels of President Joe Biden’s decision to abandon his re-election campaign, we revisit Maria Hinojosa’s sit-down interview with the Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris.

Venezuelan investigative journalist Roberto Deniz has uncovered widespread corruption in his home country’s government.

Maria Hinojosa sits down with Isa Nakazawa, the host of the new Futuro Studios’ show, Stars and Stars with Isa, to discuss how astrology can enhance your life.

One of the most influential anthropologists of our time tells us about her creative process on the page and on the dance floor.

Get in, we’re going clubbing in Juárez! It’s going to be glitzy, it’s going to be gritty.

A podcast about going back to your roots, with the life of Juan Gabriel as a guide.

In part two of our two-part special, we continue our investigation into the death of a man in a U.S. immigration detention center, examining surveillance video and other clues about what happened

Colombian-Canadian singer-songwriter Lido Pimienta talks about her new album, "Miss Colombia" and how her love of Afro-Colombian music came to be.

A man dies in a U.S. immigration detention center, under unusual circumstances

Angela Guzman explains how she helped designed the first set of Apple emojis, her inspiration, and process.

In this episode, we travel to Sasabe, a remote town on the Arizona border with Mexico, to find out how the battles over human smuggling turned this tiny community into a ghost town.

The Tiarras have been playing together since they were just little girls, but they’ve been sisters forever.

For Puerto Rican singer-songwriter Ileana Cabra — better known under her stage name, iLe — music has always been a way to reflect on the world around her

Will watching all of Pedro Almodovar's movies in one month make you more or less neurotic?

Shea Serrano’s prolific writing career started unexpectedly when his wife, pregnant with twins, had to stop working.

In this episode of Latino USA, we hear from three Latino voices around the country on what informs their solidarity with Palestinians as the war on Gaza continues.

Luna Luna is a rising four-member band from different walks of life.

In November 2021, Robert Santos became the first Latino to be confirmed as the Director of the U.S. Census Bureau.

In Far West Texas, there’s only one hospital, serving a region of 12,000 square miles.

On June 2nd 2024, Mexico will elect a female president for the first time in the country’s history.

Latino USA interviews Xiomara Torres who started as an undocumented migrant and made her way through the foster system to become a judge in Oregon's Circuit Court.

Latino USA examines how and why someone with serious mental illness falls through the cracks of the nation's mental health system.

A conversation with Lucía Díaz Genao, a mother who became a leader in the fight to search and find the disappeared in Mexico.

A conversation with Pulitzer prize-winning journalist Andrea Elliott on documenting life on the margins of power and the role of journalists of conscience.

Trans activist, actress and author Cecilia Gentili on the intersections of advocacy and storytelling.

Mexican singer-songwriter Natalia Lafourcade embraces contrasts in her music.

A look at how disinformation affects Latino and Spanish-speaking communities, and how to combat its effects—a new episode of “The Latino Factor: How We Vote,” our 2024 election year series.

Mexican actress Melissa Barrera talks about her journey into acting, the importance of using her platform and how she views her own diverse career during what she calls an age of self-reflection.

In the 1990s, Detective Louis N. Scarcella was legendary. In a city overrun by violent crime, he cracked the toughest cases and put away the worst criminals. “The Hulk” was his nickname.

When Mireya Ramos found herself subject to scrutiny and machismo as the only woman mariachi singer in the male-dominated mariachi circles, she decided to do something about it.

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones rose to instant recognition when she published the 1619 Project in 2019.

Wildland firefighter Armando Perez recreates a typical day as a member of Eldorado Hotshots; what is it like to go into the fire—and get out of it?

What and who do you include in a national Latino museum? That’s a question that many have been asking since late 2020, when Congress green-lit the creation of The National Museum of the American Latino

In this episode of Latino USA, Mimy and Tony show us how, with the right timing and your family, nothing can get in the way.

As part of our special election coverage for 2024, “The Latino Factor: How We Vote,” we discuss one of the top mobilizing issues for voters: abortion and reproductive rights.

One student shares her story of loss and growth after the pandemic flipped her senior year of college upside down.

In a new migration reality, women and children are requesting asylum in Mexico at higher rates than men. A look into what it’s like to migrate undocumented when you’re a woman, and the central role her body plays in transit.

Latino USA speaks with some of the Latinos and Latinas who made the recent and historic mission to Mars possible.

It was an anti-immigrant initiative in his home state of California that pushed Alex Padilla into politics, now he is making history as the first Latino to represent California in the US senate.

Argentine writer Samanta Schweblin shares how she constructs short stories and novels that reveal the uncanny of everyday life.

How Toñita’s, the last Puerto Rican social club in Brooklyn, is fighting erasure with free food, dance and building community.

When Annette Vega was in elementary school, she found out the man she called “dad” wasn’t her biological father.

Maria Hinojosa speaks to Andes plane crash survivor Roberto Canessa, “Society of the Snow” actor Matias Recalt, “The Eternal Memory” director Maite Alberdi and “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" producer Phil Lord ahead of the 2024 Oscars.

This week on Latino USA author Myriam Gurba unmasks the creeps.

A conversation with Salvadoran author Javier Zamora, on his memoir Solito, his complicated relationship with his home country and the role of a writer in today’s world.

Buscabulla is a Puerto Rican indie duo formed by wife and husband Raquel Berrios and Luis Alfredo del Valle. In this segment of our "How I Made It" series, the duo joins us from Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, to tell us about their debut album "Regresa."

In 2018, a young Guatemalan man named Reynaldo Castro Tum was ordered deported even though no one knew where he was. Now, more than two years later, his case has sucked another man back into a legal quagmire.

Las Cafeteras is a band out of East LA known for their politically charged lyrics, speaking out against injustices within the immigrant community and their experiences as chicanos in East LA. On today’s How I Made It, we sat down with members of the group.

The story of a house in Los Angeles owned by the California Department of transportation. And the struggles of residents past and present, who have fought to make it their home

This week on Latino USA a conversation with comedian and author Aida Rodriguez.

Maria Hinojosa sits down for a one on one conversation with the first Latino to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, Xavier Becerra.

In this live and intimate conversation, Sandra Cisneros reflects on her past, present and the legacy she hopes to leave behind.

Since the beginning of the Trump administration, the U.S.-Mexico border and immigration policy have been front and center in public conversation.

Visual artist Pepón Osorio on his latest comprehensive exhibition at the New Museum, growing up in Puerto Rico, his passion for collecting objects and finding home in the Bronx.

Maria Hinojosa sits down with Mexican film and comedy star Eugenio Derbez for a conversation about becoming a dramatic actor and changing the narrative of Latinos in Hollywood.

For generations, Christopher Columbus has been glorified in monument after monument across the United States.

A special episode remembering Latino USA founder and pioneer public radio journalist Maria Emilia Martin, who passed away on December 2nd, 2023.

Latino USA host Maria Hinojosa sits down with actor and entrepreneur Danny Trejo.

It's a common sight in Puerto Rico—men in bright yellow T-shirts going door-to-door- selling cakes.

Latino USA speaks with Héctor Rodríguez III, the creator of El Peso Hero, a comic book superhero celebrating its 10th anniversary.

We continue our investigation into the Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS).

Chilean singer-songwriter Francisca Valenzuela takes us on her life journey, from moving from the U.S. to Chile, breaking into music, and creating a Latinx feminist music collective.

After a domestic violence incident, Leah Garcia called the police looking for safety for her and her two children.

This week Latino USA shares an episode of the podcast, Imperfect Paradise: Nury & The Secret Tapes, from LAist Studios.

Our continuation of 30 years of Latino USA. This time, looking at one subject that holds us all together: immigration—then and now.

The Gun Machine is a new podcast from WBUR in partnership with The Trace, exploring the 250-year history of one of the most tragic and confounding forms of addiction in America: guns.

We begin the celebrations of being 30 years on the air with an oral history of Latino USA. The memories of how it all started and what it took to keep the show going for over three decades, as told by the people who lived through it.

A night of live music and conversation with the Colombian band Monsieur Periné.

A look at the workings of the Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection—one of the most important institutions collecting the history of Latin America and US Latinas and Latinos.

United Stateless Podcast documents the stories of "returnees", people who immigrated to the US, largely as children, and have since returned to their home country.

Latino USA tells the story of Richard Oakes' life, from his first involvement in activism to his untimely death at the age of 30.

Historian Kelly Lytle Hernandez talks about her book Bad Mexicans Race. Empire and revolution in the borderlands, which tells the story of a cross-border insurgency that has been left out of most U.S. history books.

Maria Hinojosa sits down with labor leader Dolores Huerta for a one-on-one interview.

The multimedia sci-fi project Futuro Conjunto uses music, animation, and an interactive website to transport listeners to the Rio Grande Valley in Texas — centuries into the future.

Maestro Gustavo Dudamel, the Music and Artistic Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, talks about adapting to uncertain times, the unifying power of music, and how he finds his roots wherever he goes.

In this episode, we can’t talk about class without talking about race.

Maria Hinojosa sits down with the Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris, for a one-on-one interview.

In this "Portrait Of," Maria sits talked to Gabby about her beginnings as a writer, her difficult experience with #comicsgate and about returning to comic book writing.

Latino USA visits University Park, a neighborhood in South Los Angeles and the site of a battle brewing between communities who are fighting for clean air and an oil industry with a deep history in the city.

Luz Elena Mendoza Ramos, an Indie musician, has been playing as Y La Bamba for nearly 20 years. They reflect on their path towards becoming more themselves.

We explore the Bracero program’s legacy as seen through the eyes of Juan Loza, a former bracero, and his niece and historian, Mireya Loza.

When Austin's cumbia-funk institution Grupo Fantasma went to record their seventh album at a studio in Tornillo, Texas, they had no idea that right next door was a tent city for detained immigrant youth operated by ICE.

Latino USA follows the often-bizarre story of these Bitcoin pirates of the Caribbean, from crypto boom to crypto bust.

In 2017, while working at a fast food restaurant, Omar Apollo found his first breakthrough on Spotify with the song "Ugotme." Four years later, he has amassed more than 100 million streams on the platform and has toured internationally.

Latino USA producer Reynaldo Leaños Jr. travels to Kodiak, Alaska to see how a fishing community is trying to stay afloat as climate change disrupts their industry—and lives.

Avocado consumption has exploded in the U.S. over the past decade. But what’s rarely seen is the rotten underbelly of this industry, controlled by armed groups in Mexico who use smuggled weapons from the U.S. to keep control over this lucrative business.

We accompany Mary Estrada as she visits her husband Robert in prison, a Sunday ritual she’s been performing for some forty years.

Maria Hinojosa talks to the singer-songwriter about his life-changing trip and how his multicultural upbringing influenced his unique sound.

The growing call to abolish student debt. We listen to the stories of Black and Latino students organizing at the forefront of this movement.

Latino USA sets off to answer the question: Do Latinos cry more? The result is a meditation on how Latinos process emotion and the role of tears in society in general.

The story of Lance Corporal David Lee Espinoza, who was killed in Afghanistan in 2021 during the U.S. withdrawal from the country.

A conversation between Isaac and Esteban Hernández, the first siblings to become principal dancers for the San Francisco Ballet.

A conversation with poet and revolutionary, Gioconda Belli, who is living in exile in Spain after being recently stripped of her Nicaraguan citizenship by the authoritarian government of Daniel Ortega.

The September 11 attacks left nearly 3,000 dead, many more injured, and a nation traumatized. In the 20 years since, the U.S. has drastically altered its approach to immigration, moving towards tightened borders and tougher enforcement against non-citizens.

In this episode, get a behind-the-scenes look at the experience of trying to navigate the immigration courts as an asylum-seeker under the Trump Administration

In this “How I Made It,” Rodrigo and Gabriela take us back to the origins of their band and tell us what keeps them going after more than 20 years.

In a world full of stereotypes, Latinos listen to nothing other than tropical rhythms with heavy percussion. But, the reality in plain sight, is heavy metal is one of the biggest genres of music across Latin America.

Soulection is a music startup, which has quickly grown to be a powerhouse with a record label, a popular radio show, and worldwide tours—bringing together an international group of music lovers.

Latino USA Producer Patricia Sulbarán embarks on a journey to find out how Latino USA covered the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the 1990s. In it, she learns about women’s unique struggles to get access to treatment through the experiences of two Latinas – the iconic late actress and lawyer Ilka Tanya Payán and Puerto Rican activist Aracelis Quiñones.

Muralist Judith Baca on resuming work for the Great Wall of Los Angeles, one of the world’s largest communal murals, and the joy of collaborating with youth.

A conversation with Meg Medina, an award-winning Cuban-American writer and the first Latina National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, on trusting kids to find and share their own stories.

The musical genres most people associate with the Dominican Republic are merengue and bachata.

Latino USA and Black Public Media bring you Alzheimer’s In Color.

Latino USA producer Reynaldo Leaños Jr. went to Congressman Frost’s district in Orlando to interview him and attended one of his community events.

Latino USA takes a deep dive into bilingual education history as Jeanne looks for solidarity in the ghosts of New York City’s past.

The beer industry might be dominated by men today but women were the original brewers and played a vital role in beer’s popularity!

A story about how ICE detainees are sexually abused when they were at their most vulnerable —in a medical setting— and how ICE has done very little to stop it.

Latino USA takes a walk with poet and author, Willie Perdomo, through the neighborhood of his adolescence and hear from his newest book of poetry, 'The Crazy Bunch'.

Latino USA brings you back to 1968, when thousands of students participated in a series of protests historically known as the East L.A. Walkouts.

Steven Melendez, dancer and artistic director of the New York Theater Ballet, says that movement is a kind of universal language.

Pioneering filmmaker Hector Galán —who has documented Latino communities for over four decades— returns to Latino USA to talk about his long career, 30 years after his first appearance on the show.

According to Haitian-American author Edwidge Danticat, stories are a way of finding inspiration and comfort during the times we’re living through.

In 1919, an intrepid Texas state representative, José Tomás Canales, decided to lead an investigation into the abuse of power by the Texas Rangers.

In honor of Latino USA’s 30th anniversary, we explore the history of Latino USA’s theme music with the creator of the current song and a special 30th anniversary remix, musical artist Xenia Rubinos.

Anita Flores shares a story of love and language—how her relationship to Spanish changed in the face of her father’s fading memory.

For many years, Richard Montañez was known as the Mexican janitor who invented Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. That is until May of 2021 when the L.A. Times published a 5,000-plus word article titled The Man Who Didn’t Invent Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.

What happens when people who are struggling to make ends meet get a stable income from the government? We look at how guaranteed income programs like the pilot launched by the city of Los Angeles could help tackle inequality in the US.

For over 25 years, Uruguayan band No Te Va Gustar has been filling concert venues across Latin America.

Latino USA goes inside the biggest free health clinic in the country, which serves only people without insurance.

Maria Hinojosa and Julio Ricardo Varela reflect on the one-year anniversary of the school massacre in Uvalde, Texas, and the lasting impacts on the community.

One year after the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, Latino USA and Futuro Investigates explore how families in the community are dealing with grief, how they’re navigating their journey to healing and calling for accountability.

In today’s episode of Latino USA, Mexican singer-songwriter Julieta Venegas talks about her new album, “Tu historia,” and her decision to simplify her life by moving to a new country.

Mother and son chefs Zarela Martinez and Aarón Sanchez join in conversation to reflect on their careers and their relationship.

José Ralat is the Taco Editor at Texas Monthly Magazine and consequently the only taco editor in the United States.

Over 300,000 students in the U.S. migrate every year to work in agriculture, from spring to fall.

Argentine writer Mariana Enríquez on how she uses the horror genre to process historical trauma and her latest novel, “Our Share of Night.”

A conversation with music legend Linda Ronstadt, known as the first lady of rock. We talk to her about her memories growing up in Tucson, Arizona, reckoning with her family history… and her legacy.

From gang extortion to scared teens, a deep dive into Honduras and the stories behind migration.

We begin the celebrations of being 30 years on the air with an oral history of Latino USA. The memories of how it all started and what it took to keep the show going for over three decades, as told by the people who lived through it.

The rock en español group, Maná, is one of the most successful Spanish-language rock bands of this generation.

Years ago, Gloria Martinez’s son went out to look for a job and never came back. Gloria would spend months searching for him, and she wasn’t alone.

Former gang members are out on Chicago’s streets trying to slow the relentless violence. A man shot 11 times hides with his kids at home.

In the last episode of our two-part investigative special “Head Down,” we uncover millions of dollars owed to foreign agricultural workers that are kept by the U.S. government; we examine the racist roots of the H-2A program, and share the story of a massive firing at a U.S. farm with unseen consequences. Lastly, we ask: if the H-2A program is largely set up to fail, why is the Biden administration planning to expand it?

Todays episode, is a story about a team of ambitious Latino lawyers who decided it was time to change the system, from the inside.

In 2018, Diego and Mario joined the U.S. government-sponsored H-2A visa program, leaving their families in their home country of Mexico to harvest blueberries at a farm in North Carolina for six months.

The story of Kate Bustamante, a 20-year-old student at Santa Ana College in California. Kate had always worked part-time while attending school, but the pandemic forced her to become her family's main breadwinner.

Latino USA brings you a portrait of the Latina icon, Gloria Estefan. The Cuban-American singer-songwriter, is a multifaceted artist and a philanthropist. Maria Hinojosa sits down with Gloria to discuss her life, and how she overcame trauma.

Host Janice Llamoca goes on a Y2K-filled journey back in time to her own party crew days to find out what this scene meant for teens like her and Emmery, and why – to this day – Emmery’s case remains unsolved.

Three years after her passing, we remember the life and explore the legacy of Lorena Borjas, known as the mother of the translatina community in Queens, New York.

A conversation with Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Quiara Alegria Hudes about adapting her memoir for the stage.

Antonia Cereijido interviews former prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Luis Moreno Ocampo about his real life experience, which inspired the Oscar nominated film "Argentina, 1985."

Prison abolitionist and poet Christopher Soto takes us to El Salvador during the state of exception.

Puerto Rican artists Villano Antillano and Ana Macho talk about their latest projects and dreaming of queer and trans empowerment through their music.

Genaro García Luna’s trial is over, but Maria and Peniley’s investigative work is not.

By the end of the 1990s, merengue ruled supreme on the radio and TV in Puerto Rico, but the road to get there was long and complicated.

In this episode of “How I Made It,” Ayodele takes us through her tap journey and reclaims tap dancing as a Black art form.

In the late 1800s, Teresa Urrea was a superstar. She was a ‘curandera,’ or healer, a revolutionary, and a feminist.

Daniel Suárez made history in 2022 when he became the first Mexican-born driver to win a NASCAR Cup Series race, but the road to this feat has been anything but smooth.

Created by Nuyorican street kids in the mid-80s, freestyle music became the sound and story of second-generation Boricuas.

The food of Mexico is diverse, complex, and beloved across the world. Mexican chef and cookbook author Margarita Carrillo Arronte joins the show to talk about the rich history of Mexican food, and breaks down misconceptions about her home country’s cuisine.