Over the weekend, Spanish-language media outlets kept last week’s exchange about immigration between the First Lady and a young girl in the headlines. Elsewhere in the Spanish-language press, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano leaves the possibility open that ICE will not cooperate in enforcing Arizona law SB 1070, and a rise in civil disobedience around the country leaves many courageous young people facing deportation.
Growing up too soon. Over the weekend, Spanish-language media outlets kept last week’s story about the First Lady’s exchange with a young girl about the immigration issue alive. El Financiero notes that millions of children are in a similar situation to that of the young girl, who was afraid her mother would be deported for not having papers, and quotes Frank Sharry, executive director of America’s Voice. La Voz (Arizona) publishes an AP report in which Alan García, president of Peru, expresses his pride that the young girl was of Peruvian descent, as El Comercio (Lima) reports that there are about 500,000 undocumented Peruvians in the United States.
La Opinión (Los Angeles) writes, in an editorial titled “Growing Up Too Soon”:
“The seven-year-old girl brought an unavoidable reality close to home. Millions of families, with undocumented parents and children who are United States citizens, live in fear of separation after years spent building a life together in our country.”