Immigrant dies in Imperial County immigration detention facility
Good Morning, I’m Lawrence K. Jackson….it’s TUESDAY, OCTOBER SEVENTH>>>> ADVOCATES SAY LACK OF OVERSIGHT AND HARSH CONDITIONS CONTRIBUTED TO A DEATH IN THE IMPERIAL COUNTY IMMIGRATION DETENTION FACILITY
More on that next. But first... the headlines …#######
A U-C SAN DIEGO GRAD IS ONE OF THE NEWEST NOBEL PRIZE WINNERS.
FRED RAMSDELL IS A SCIENTIFIC ADVISER FOR SAN FRANCISCO-BASED SONOMA BIOTHERAPEUTICS.
HE IS BEING HONORED ALONG WITH TWO OTHER SCIENTISTS FOR DISCOVERIES ABOUT HOW THE IMMUNE SYSTEM KNOWS TO ATTACK GERMS AND NOT OUR OWN BODIES.
RAMSDELL EARNED A BACHELOR’S IN BIOCHEMISTRY AND CELL BIOLOGY AT UCSD AND A DOCTORATE IN IMMUNOLOGY AT UCLA
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THERE’S NEW HOPE FOR PEOPLE ELIGIBLE FOR THE DEFERRED ACTION FOR CHILDHOOD ARRIVALS PROGRAM OR DACA
LAWYERS FOR THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND IMMIGRATION ADVOCATES RECENTLY PRESENTED PLANS TO A FEDERAL JUDGE TO BEGIN ACCEPTING NEW APPLICATIONS AGAIN
THE TWO-YEAR, RENEWABLE PERMIT PROGRAM GRANTS YOUNG PEOPLE WITHOUT LEGAL IMMIGRATION STATUS THE ABILITY TO LIVE AND WORK IN THE U-S.
DACA DOES NOT GRANT RECIPIENTS LEGAL STATUS BUT DOES PROVIDE PROTECTION FROM DEPORATION
IT’S ESTIMATED THAT HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS COULD BE BE ELIGIBLE TO BE ENROLLED IN DACA IF A FEDERAL JUDGE ISSUES AN ORDER TO MOVE FORWARD
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BANNED BOOKS WEEK KICKED OFF SUNDAY AND RUNS THROUGH SATURDAY
THE WEEK AIMS TO FIGHT BACK AGAINST THE CENSORSHIP OF LITERATURE
ACCORDING TO THE AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, LAST YEAR SAW OVER 8 HUNDRED ATTEMPTS TO CENSOR LIBRARY MATERIALS AND SERVICES
FOR MORE INFO ON EVENTS YOU CAN VISIT SANDIEGO DOT GOV SLASH BANNED BOOKS WEEK
From KPBS, you’re listening to San Diego News Now.Stay with me for more of the local news you need.
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ANOTHER IMMIGRANT HAS DIED IN THE CUSTODY OF FEDERAL IMMIGRATION AUTHORITIES – THIS TIME IN IMPERIAL COUNTY.
KORI SUZUKI SAYS IT WAS THE SECOND IN-CUSTODY DEATH IN CALIFORNIA IN TWO WEEKS.
IVDEATH 1 1:01 SOQ
The person was Huabing Xie [HWAH-bing SHEE-eh], who was originally from China. ICE was holding Xie at the Imperial County Regional Detention Facility in Calexico.
Xie died after having a seizure at the detention center, according to ICE. Staff members administered CPR and used a defibrillator. But Xie was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Immigrant rights groups say Xie’s death fits into a pattern of dwindling oversight and increasingly harsh conditions – at the Imperial County detention center and others across the country.
20251006_ivdeath_daniela flores and marina arteaga / 1:57
This is not the first detainee that dies at a detention center. It is the first one that dies here in Imperial.
Marina Arteaga is an organizer with the Imperial Liberation Collaborative, a local immigrant rights group. She’s been visiting the detention center to speak with detainees since 2022.
20251006_ivdeath_daniela flores and marina arteaga / 3:00
As of mid-August, we have been told that we can no longer conduct those visits. So, we have not been able to go inside the facility. We don't know what's going on.
Advocates are demanding that ICE release the full details behind Xie’s death.
ICE declined to respond to questions, citing an ongoing investigation.
Kori Suzuki, KPBS News.
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BALLOTS HAVE GONE OUT FOR THE SPECIAL ELECTION ON PROPOSITION 50. TO EXPLAIN WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT, HERE'S PUBLIC MATTERS REPORTER JAKE GOTTA
NEWMAPS 1 (jg) TRT 1:02 SOQ
VOTERS WILL DECIDE IF CALIFORNIA GETS A NEW CONGRESSIONAL MAP AHEAD OF THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS
GOVERNOR NEWSOM SAID IT’S IN RESPONSE TO TEXAS REDRAWING ITS MAP. HERE’S WHAT IT WOULD MEAN IN SAN DIEGO
IF YOU LIVE IN EAST COUNTY, YOU’RE PROBABLY IN CALIFORNIA’S 48TH DISTRICT, REPRESENTED BY DARRELL ISSA.
NEWSOM WANTS TO FLIP ISSA’S DISTRICT TO DEMOCRATS BY CARVING OUT BIG PARTS OF IT. AND PUTTING THOSE PARTS IN OTHER DISTRICTS REPRESENTED BY DEMOCRATS.
WHICH MEANS THE BALANCE OF VOTERS WOULD CHANGE - A LOT!
RIGHT NOW THE 48TH HAS 14% MORE REGISTERED REPUBLICAN VOTERS THAN DEMOCRATS. IN THE NEW MAP, IT WOULD BE PLUS 10 IN FAVOR OF DEMOCRATS.
BUT THE 50TH DISTRICT WOULD GO FROM 16% MORE DEMOCRATS TO JUST A FOUR PERCENT ADVANTAGE - BASICALLY A TOSS UP.
BECAUSE YOU CAN’T JUST MAKE VOTERS DISAPPEAR! IF YOU TAKE THEM OUT OF THE 48TH, THEY HAVE TO GO SOMEWHERE.
HERE’S WHAT CONGRESSMAN SCOTT PETERS SAID ABOUT THAT.
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“I like the district I have, it’s tremendous. I prefer not to change it.... But I’m willing to be a team player, and I’ve represented Poway before, I can do it again.”
IT’S WAY TOO EARLY TO MAKE PREDICTIONS FOR 2026. BUT BASED ON WHERE YOU LIVE, YOUR VOTE COULD DECIDE WHO CONTROLS CONGRESS FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS
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A SAN DIEGO CITY COUNCIL MEMBER IS PROPOSING A TAX ON SECOND HOMES AND FULL-TIME VACATION RENTALS.
METRO REPORTER ANDREW BOWEN SAYS THE DETAILS ARE STILL BEING WORKED OUT.
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TWOHOMES 1 (ab) 0:45 soq
AB: Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera has been on a push to extract more revenue from San Diego's tourism sector. At Voice of San Diego's Politifest last weekend, he announced he's preparing a tax on vacation homes — those rented out short-term on platforms like AirBnb and those owners keep vacant for their personal vacations.
SER: There are 11,000 homes in San Diego right now that are not being used to be lived in by San Diegans. There is a cost to that, and we need to generate revenue from that.
AB: Elo-Rivera's office told KPBS the tax would support the city's general fund, and would require approval from a simple majority of voters. He's hoping to place the measure on the June 2026 ballot. Andrew Bowen, KPBS news.
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THE DEL MAR FAIRGROUNDS HAS BEEN AROUND FOR NEARLY NINETY YEARS, AND NOW ITS OPERATORS ARE LOOKING AHEAD TO THE NEXT 100.
REPORTER JACOB AERE TELLS US THEY'RE LOOKING FOR THE PUBLIC'S INPUT.
FAIRGROUNDS 1 (ja) :56 soq
The Fair, the racetrack, concerts and all of the different expos -- The Del Mar Fairgrounds has been a mass gathering space for decades.
California’s 22nd District Agricultural Association owns the fairgrounds. The state agency is developing a new master site plan to shape the future of the space…. and they're looking for input from San Diegans.
Tristan Hallman is a spokesperson with the association. He says while nothing is set in stone, there are already ideas being discussed.
“We're talking to the city of del mar about affordable housing, we're hoping we're going to have a special events rail platform here very soon.”
Overall, the master site plan will shape the future of the Del Mar Fairgrounds and Racetrack; the Del Mar Horsepark; and the Surf & Turf Recreation Center.
The association is taking feedback on the plan at forums around the county through mid-November. They’re free to attend. A SIGN UP LINK IS ON THE DEL MAR FAIRGROUNDS WEBSITE. JA KPBS News.
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THERE’S A NATURAL WONDER RIGHT NEXT TO WEST POINT LOMA BOULEVARD.
YOU MIGHT HAVE DRIVEN BY IT WITHOUT EVER NOTICING IT.
REPORTER JOHN CARROLL TAKES US OFF THE ROAD AND INTO A PLACE WHERE NATURE THRIVES WITH THE HELP OF SOME VERY DEDICATED PEOPLE.
((NAT OPENING…))
TRACK:
In a busy part of the Loma Portal neighborhood, the Famosa Slough opens a portal back in time.
((MORE NATS))
A serene place with plentiful fish and crustaceans for the many species of birds who rest and feed here.
“We’ve seen 100 different species so far this year…”
That’s Kelcy Coleman… She’s the conservation coordinator for the San Diego Bird Alliance.
“And by the time December ends, we will have doubled that count over. So we will have around 260 species by the end of the year.”
From breeding to feeding - the Slough is the perfect place for our fine feathered friends.
“So, the brackish water, which is fresh water meeting saltwater, creates its own kind of habitat, which is very unique and any time there’s a unique habitat, you’re going to see a higher range of birds.”
Coleman’s mention of brackish water brings us to a part of the slough where, apart from rainwater, the wetland’s water comes from.
((NATS/WEST POINT LOMA BLVD.))
It’s on the north side of West Point Loma Boulevard, the smaller portion of the slough, 12 acres… but critical to its existence. This is where water comes into - and goes out of the 25-acre portion twice every day. That water originates at the mouth of the San Diego River.
“When the rivermouth is seeing a high tide, it will take 3 hours for the Famosa Slough to see a high tide, so those birds are traveling from the rivermouth and other areas over to the Slough here to be able to still eat.”
Once upon a time, this entire area was an estuarine part of Mission Bay… that meeting point of fresh and salt water. Then came all the development that surrounds the slough… development that was once slated to extend to where the slough is now.
“My name is Tim Fleming.”
The slough has been an important part of Tim Fleming’s life for more than 30-years. He helps lead the group that keeps this place healthy… the Friends of Famosa Slough. He knows a lot about its history.
“In the 70s there was a developer that owned the property and had filled in this land and they had really focused on West Point Loma Boulevard. In that location, there had been concrete that had been pushed into the slough.”
But in September of 1990, the city purchased the slough and the big cleanup began. Fleming says all of the debris was removed, and years later some of it was actually put to good use.
“We made a pile over there, took it all over there, so now there’s an upland area that we’re working on revegetating. But by doing that, we scooped out a good bit of what had been fill and made a nesting island.”
((NATS/PEOPLE CUTTING & REMOVING VEGETATION))
More recently, the Friends of Famosa Slough bought the land bordering most of the west side. Volunteers now maintain that land.
Another major project was completed about 25 years ago… the creation of three catch basins, which capture runoff from the surrounding neighborhoods and filter it before it gets into the slough.
“I’m the Board Chair for Friends of the Famosa Slough.”
You might also call Jim Peugh the grandfather of this special place. He was one of the advocates pushing the city to buy it. He’s been working to keep it pristine for more than 35-years. He says San Diegans should have a deep appreciation, not only for the slough - but all of this county’s wetlands.
“People really need to have a feeling for how rich they are and how much we need to preserve them.”
That means getting involved… volunteering to help with the endless job of ridding the slough of invasive species… of cleaning up trash… and for the people that love this place, always looking to the future.
Part of that future is directly connected to the distant past. The Kumeyaay people once used the plants that grow here… like the spiny rush. Now the Friends of Famosa Slough is working with the Kumeyaay so they can harvest those plants and use them for their ancient purposes… like making canoes.
Harvesting the plants here is only allowed for Kumeyaay people…
Because of developments like that, Jim Peugh says he’s optimistic about the Slough’s future… with a caveat.
“As long as there’s an active constituency for it, it’ll do really, really well. It won’t survive, it won’t prosper unless somebody’s watching out for it.”
As of now, there are a lot of committed people watching out for it, folks dedicated to keeping this unique, special place healthy for generations to come. JC, KPBS News.
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That’s it for the podcast today. As always you can find more San Diego news online at KPBS dot org. I’m Lawrence K. Jackson. Thanks for listening or subscribing, by doing either you’re supporting public media and I want to thank you for that! Have a great day & talk tomorrow!
