Las Notis is a daily news column that gets you up to speed on the political, media + other going ons in Latin America and the diaspora—all in one quick digest.
Here’s your glimpse at what’s going on today:
In an emotional, 87-minute Instagram Live session, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez detailed her experience fearing for her life during the Capitol insurrection last month and revealed she’s the survivor of past sexual assault. She said her Republican colleagues who have urged the country to “move on” from the attack without leaders facing consequences reflect “the same tactics of abusers.” [CNN]
Joe Biden is planning to sign long-awaited executive orders aimed at undoing Trump’s immigration policy and specifically examining family separation. He is expected to launch a task force to work on reuniting families separated by Trump at the border and begin a comprehensive review of asylum programs that have kept thousands of asylum seekers in dire conditions in Mexico while their claims are examined. [Politico]
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. only has racial and ethnic data for about half of vaccine doses given. Within those limited numbers, the data shows just 5 percent of Black Americans and 11 percent of Latinos have received the vaccine, despite states saying they would champion racial equity while distributing the vaccine in earlier phases of the pandemic. [Politico]
The Congressional Budget Office says that although there has been quicker economic growth this year than what was expected, their forecasts show that the unemployment rate will not fall below the 3.5% it once was in February 2020 for the rest of the decade. The analysis also indicates that many people could struggle to find work or re-enter the labor force even after the coronavirus outbreak is contained. [Business Insider]
In addition to working on immigration executive orders, the Biden administration has asked the Supreme Court to cancel two case arguments on Trump immigration policies, including one over the funding dispute about the border wall and another that revolves around the “remain in Mexico” policy, which requires asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while their claims are considered in the U.S. [WaPo]
The Department of Homeland Security said Monday that it will not make immigration enforcement arrests at COVID-19 vaccination sites and that it will consider them “sensitive locations.” The department added that it encourages everyone “regardless of immigration status” to receive the vaccine when they are eligible. [HuffPo]
Colombia’s navy is searching for an unknown number of missing people after two boats capsized off the port city of Tumaco. At least 14 people, seven of which were children, were killed and there is no record of how many were on board the vessels. The cause of the accident is unknown and of the bodies recovered, none were wearing life jackets. [BBC]
Selena Gomez has raised $360,000 for 23 nonprofit organizations through her HBO Max cooking show Selena + Chef. Some of the groups that have received funds collected through the series are World Central Kitchen, NAACP, Harlem Grown, and Feeding America. [People]
