ArcaMax

SAN DIEGO -- The topic of immigration law is in the news a lot lately as a result of President Donald Trump's immigration enforcement blitz.

With immigration, as with life in general, it's good to be aware of what you know but also what you don't know.

I'm an expert on the immigration debate. At least that's what people tell me when I'm ...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- I've known this day was coming. The end of the road isn't far off when you live to be 93 years old.

But it still hurts to say goodbye to a friend, mentor and teacher who was often on my mind, always in my corner and occasionally on my voicemail.

I remember one message that I couldn't bring myself to delete:

"Ruben my boy, ...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- Our opinions are often the sum of our experiences. What human beings believe can frequently be traced back to who we are, where we're from, who we love, what we've done and what tribes we call our own. Our personal journey shapes how we see the world.

And so I find myself diving into the tale of Mahmoud Khalil -- the Palestinian ...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- President Donald Trump is a shameless cultural warrior who pits citizens against one another. Perhaps he does it for his own amusement, or because a fractured country is easier to control, or because picking on groups tickles his political base which is mostly made up of white people who want to turn back the clock.

Trump has a ...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- In politics, as in life, nothing is 100% good or bad. If you believe otherwise, it's time to check your bias and blindspots.

Take the chaotic second term of President Donald Trump. There are good things happening. You just have to look hard to find them.

I've been on the lookout. Fairness demands it. So does my own desire to ...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- It's too bad the Academy Awards are over with. President Donald Trump would be a shoo-in for what could well be the performance of a lifetime.

If Trump isn't really a compromised Russian asset who puts Moscow's interests ahead of those of the United States, he sure plays that role phenomenally well.

The Trump administration has ...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- U.S. politicians tend to overuse the word "crisis." Some insist there is a crisis along the U.S.-Mexico border. Public health advocates warn of a health care crisis. Through executive overreach, President Donald Trump might be forcing a constitutional crisis. And we've long been told there's a crisis in our schools.

You know what...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- The Trump administration's petulant war on DEI -- and its subsequent purge of women, people of color and members of the LGBTQ+ community from high-level government jobs -- puts me in a frame of mind where I'm thinking about the afterlife.

My wife believes in reincarnation, and she's convinced me that there might be something to ...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- To deflect from his own misdeeds, mistakes and mayhem, President Donald Trump likes to accuse the mainstream media of ginning up "fake news."

But one thing that the folks in the Fourth Estate can't fake -- and no longer even bother trying to hide -- is their dislike and disrespect for Trump. Those negative feelings also carry ...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- A friend describes me as a "belligerent centrist." I consider myself an honest umpire who calls balls and strikes regardless of who is standing at the plate.

By the way, I got to the center because I dislike both political parties and often can't tell them apart. Republicans and Democrats go through the motions and argue over hot...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- Fonzie is about to jump the shark.

Presidents are not kings. It's amazing how many chief executives from both parties tend to forget that -- often at their own peril. The minute presidents start acting like royalty, their presidency is done.

President Donald Trump seems poised to go to war against an institution that chief ...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- As a Mexican American journalist who had to struggle and work extra hard for the last 35 years to succeed in an industry that was built for others, I can't swallow white whine. It's way too bitter. Maybe that's because it is made from sour grapes.

Of course, that particular blend does have a fanbase. It is the official beverage ...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- President Donald Trump's recent spate of deportations means different things to different people.

For conservatives, the glorious sight of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents hauling away immigrant workers in handcuffs is evidence of -- in MAGA lingo -- "promises made, promises kept."

Of course, it's likely that some ...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- The relationship between Americans and the millions of undocumented immigrants who live in the United States is complicated.

Contrary to the whine served up by President Donald Trump and other right-wing politicians eager to score points with the nativist wing of the Republican Party, our country is not undergoing an "invasion" ...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- My brain works in threes. So now that President Donald Trump is back in the White House, here's a trifecta of things I'm experiencing. As I watch Trump abuse executive power and weaponize the federal government, my head is spinning, my heart is breaking and my blood is boiling.

It's disturbing how many of Trump's recent actions, ...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- Well, this is revealing. The Republican Party has no clothes. Due to a splattering of executive orders by President Donald Trump, conservatives are totally exposed. Everyone can finally see who they really are as opposed to who they pretend to be.

The first hint came this week when Trump issued a blanket pardon for more than 1,...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- My wife and I have tried to teach our kids to be good losers but also -- and just as importantly -- gracious winners.

Apparently, President Donald Trump never learned either lesson. His brattish reaction to his defeat in 2020 showed us that he's a terrible loser. And now that he has reclaimed the White House, we see that he's ...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- There has been a lot of talk lately about the need to return respect and civility to politics.

Although I'm not sure I buy into the premise that those things were ever really part of politics, I welcome the sentiment nonetheless.

We should start with Senate confirmation hearings, if it's not already too late. There is too much ...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- Hyperbolic conservatives have long claimed that Mexico is staging an "invasion" of the United States.

For more than three decades, I've mocked these fools for their ignorance. But now I stand corrected. It's really happening. The Mexicans are actually invading, and they're starting by reclaiming the stolen parcel of land known as...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- The media was too quick to move on from a recent MAGA civil war over H-1B visas, which allow companies to hire highly skilled foreign workers to fill specialty occupations.

We're not done yet. This is just the beginning of an argument that is likely to last all through President-elect Donald Trump's final term in office.

As will...Read more