National

Data:  UCLA 2023 Hollywood Diversity Report; Table: Axios Visuals

The latest analysis of diversity in Hollywood found that Latinos and other people of color are more likely to write, direct and star in films made for streaming services than those first released in theaters.

The big picture: Movies that featured diverse casts outperformed those that didn't regardless of how they're released, according to the the UCLA's Hollywood Diversity Report, which was published today. 

Latinos remain underrepresented in most Hollywood jobs despite being  avid moviegoers who helped keep cinema alive during the first year of the pandemic.

By the numbers: 83% of movie directors for the top theatrical releases last year were white, an increase from 2019, while just 1.1% were Latino, according to the report.

Latinos fared better in streaming films, where they made up 5% of directors and 4% of writers in 2022.

In theatrical releases, Latinos accounted for just 2.3% of lead roles in 2022, while in streaming their proportion was 6.1%.

The researchers analyzed the top 200 English-language theatrical releases and the top 100 English-language original streaming movies.

Between the lines: The study found that movies with diverse casts outperformed others.

The most streamed movies of 2022 — "Turning Red" and "Encanto" — star Asian and Latina characters, respectively.

Films that featured 31% to 40% of people of color also performed well, including "Top Gun: Maverick", "Avatar: The Way of Water" and "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," according to the report.

The report also examined the representation of actors with disabilities for the first time, finding they are severely underrepresented.

It found just two lead actors (2.3%) in theatrical releases had physical or hearing disabilities.

Overall, about 26% of the population has a disability.

What they're saying: Ana-Christina Ramón, director of the entertainment and media research initiative at UCLA, tells Axios Latino that it's clear viewers are gravitating toward diverse content no matter the platform.

"So if you think that for the theatrical side there's no need to really increase diversity with the leads or with the directors and writers, I think that's misguided and that's not gonna give (studios) the profits that they want," Ramón adds.

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Report: Streaming movies feature more diversity than cinematic releases

Prior research shows Latinos are avid moviegoers and helped keep cinema alive during the first year of the pandemic

Hollywood

Latin America and Latinos

China is becoming the most formidable rival America has faced, and the risk of confrontation with Russia, North Korea or Iran still looms. Authoritarians are rising, the chaotic Afghanistan exit revealed the limits of U.S. power, and the pandemic, climate change and other critical challenges continue to pose grave threats.

World

Share of U.S. adults in 2022 who 
identify with a select religion, by state

Data: The American Values Atlas; Chart: Axios Visuals

Hispanic Catholics in 2022 accounted for the largest percentage of people who identify with a religion in the American Southwest, surpassing the share of white evangelicals in the region, according to a survey released last month.

The big picture: Latino Catholics have also eclipsed white mainline Protestants in California, New Mexico and Texas.

In the Southwest, they still find themselves underrepresented in positions of power as white evangelicals have politically dominated the region for decades.

Hispanic Catholics' rise comes despite an overall drop in religious affiliation among all Americans, and a growing number of Latinos who convert to evangelical faiths, according to prior reports.

By the numbers: Hispanic Catholics accounted for more than 20% of all people with a religious affiliation in California, New Mexico and Texas in 2022, according to the Public Religion Research Institute's annual American Values Atlas.

In Arizona, Hispanic Catholics (12%) made up a bigger percentage than white evangelicals (10%) but a slightly smaller share than white mainline Protestants (13%).

Evangelical Protestants are generally more loosely organized and lean more conservative than many mainline Protestants, who have a defined hierarchy and tend to be more progressive.

The PRRI survey includes 40,000 annual telephone interviews among a random sample of Americans. The total number of respondents who self-identified as Hispanic was 5,864.

State of play: Despite their growth, Hispanics — especially Catholics — are severely underrepresented in most state and federal elected office.

White evangelicals hold enormous influence over the Republican Party platform.

Few Hispanic Catholics have been elected to the U.S. Senate. Currently, five serve in the U.S. Senate, the most in U.S. history.

The nation only has one Hispanic Catholic governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico. Arizona and California have had only one Hispanic Catholic governor each in their history. Texas has had none.

Between the lines: A large portion of Hispanic Catholics are under 18, are not U.S. citizens and can't vote, which contributes to their lack of political power despite growing numbers.

White evangelical Republicans also have been able to hold on to power because of political gerrymandering, says Andrew Chesnut, the Bishop Walter F. Sullivan chairman in Catholic Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Yes, but: New Mexico, where 23% of residents are Hispanic Catholics, is the exception. Hispanics, many of whom are Catholic, hold almost all statewide offices, and a majority of the state's congressional delegation identifies as Hispanic and Catholic. 

But, but, but: Unaffiliated or "nones" represent the largest percentage of people in the latest survey.

The study did not break down the unaffiliated category by ethnicity. 

The percentage of Hispanics in the U.S. who identify as atheists or agnostics grew in the past 12 years, according to data from the Pew Research Center.

The intrigue: The percentage of Hispanic evangelicals in Texas grew by nearly 30% from 2013 to 2022. But the share of Hispanic evangelicals in New Mexico declined by 50% over that same time period.

Chesnut said Hispanic evangelicals tend to be more conservative than Latino Catholics around LGBTQ+ issues but more progressive than white evangelicals on immigration.

Percentage of Latino Catholics eclipses white evangelicals in Southwest

Hispanic Catholics' rise comes despite an overall drop in religious affiliation among all Americans

Hispanic and Latino Americans

President Biden has made the COVID-19 crisis and a post-Trump return to national unity and traditional democratic ideals his top priorities. From vaccinations to stimulus to schools, Biden is seeking bipartisan compromise while showing a willingness to use executive authority and bare Democratic majorities in the U.S. House and Senate to implement his policies. Republican leaders are navigating deep party divisions over if and how to move beyond former President Trump.

Politics & Policy

Mexican authorities say they've detained eight suspects in connection to the fire at a migrant facility in Ciudad Juárez that left dozens dead on Monday after a video showed security guards leaving people behind bars before fleeing. 

Driving the news: Security and public safety minister Rosa Icela Rodríguez said during a news conference on Wednesday that those detained include two federal agents, five people who worked for the private security company that ran the center and a state employee. 

Citing an ongoing investigation, authorities have declined to say what charges they will face.

"Evidently there is a serious crime here with the indications that the gate was not opened," Rodríguez said.

Details: The announcement came as outrage grows over a leaked security video showing guards leaving people locked inside as the fire spread. 

In the surveillance video, which has been verified by authorities, migrants are seen behind bars as fire and smoke begin to engulf the room. Two security guards appear to walk away without making any attempt to free the men. 

A group of 210 human rights groups and immigrant rights organizations called for a speedy, but thorough investigation, saying the video shows  "a series of omissions by the authorities in charge."

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Tuesday the blaze was caused by the migrants who lit mattresses on fire to protest deportations. Advocates say some deaths could have been prevented if detainees had been let out. 

Authorities revised the death toll to 39 people on Wednesday, ranging in age from 20 to 51.  About two dozen others who were hospitalized were in grave or delicate condition.

Most of the victims were from Central and South America.

What they're saying: "We're here to pass through and we are not delinquents, so I don't know why they had to keep us behind bars," Marcelo, a man who said he was in the Juárez center during the fire with a friend who was hospitalized, told Noticias Telemundo. He did not give his last name.

Mexican officials say migrant facility workers to face charges over deadly fire

Security footage shows workers leaving men behind bars as fire and smoke begins to engulf the room

Mexico

A fire at a migrant holding facility in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, underscores the dangers asylum seekers and others trying to enter the U.S. face.

Driving the news: At least 40 people were killed and 29 others were injured in the fire, which broke out late Monday near the U.S. border, according to Mexican authorities.

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said at his press conference this morning that the fire started as a protest when the migrants learned they would be deported.

Mattresses were set on fire in a bathroom, López Obrador said.

Investigators have not confirmed any other details related to the blaze.

The big picture: Hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers and migrants from Venezuela, Cuba, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and other Latin American nations have attempted to travel to the U.S. via Mexico, fleeing violence, food insecurity, poverty and political instability and persecution.

Millions of Venezuelans have left their country because of inflation and shortages of food and medicine, along with political instability under President Nicolás Maduro.

A record number of Cubans have fled similar conditions and face U.S. policies that are less welcoming to Cubans than in the past.

Nicaraguans are fleeing an autocratic President Daniel Ortega, who has stymied free speech and imprisoned his political rivals.

Between the lines: U.S. policies such as Title 42 have resulted in many of those migrants getting stuck on the Mexican side of the border, with no timeline on when their asylum applications might move forward.

They end up in tent cities or in government detention centers, and human rights organizations have warned they are prey to extortion, kidnapping and forced recruitment by criminal organizations.

The Biden administration last month announced more stringent asylum policies in anticipation of the end of Title 42 in May.

What they're saying: A Venezuelan woman identified only as Vinagly told Agence France Presse that authorities have not given her any information about her husband, who had been at the center and was taken away in an ambulance.

“They don’t tell you anything. Maybe your loved one is dead," she said.

Ariel G. Ruiz Soto, an analyst for the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute, recently spent some time in Juárez and says the city is well-equipped to handle large numbers of migrants but that it's become overwhelmed by the increasingly high volume.

Mexican authorities had yesterday detained several migrants who were illegally selling merchandise on the street or asking for money, placing them in the holding center, according to the Mexican newspaper La Jornada.

Ruiz Soto says frustrations are especially high among migrants. "This didn't happen out of nowhere," he says, pointing to other incidents that have happened in recent months.

Editors note: This story has been updated with additional details on the death toll. 

Deadly Mexico fire highlights growing frustrations among migrants trying to enter U.S.

U.S. policies such as Title 42 have resulted in many of those migrants getting stuck on the Mexican side of the border

A woman leans against the window of an ambulance trying to get a look at her husband who was injured in a fire in Juarez, Mexico, that killed at least 40 people

A Venezuelan woman who identified herself only as Vinagly looks into an ambulance carrying her husband, who was injured in a fire at a Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, facility for migrants last night. Photo: Hérika Martínez/AFP via Getty Images

A bill in the California Assembly would allow for the use diacritical marks — like those in á and ñ — on birth certificates and other government documents for the first time since 1986, when state voters overwhelmingly approved a proposition that made English the state's official language.

The big picture: Despite being one of the most diverse states in the country, California vital records such as birth certificates can't have accent or other marks.

This comes as Latinos are reclaiming the marks in their names, as Axios Latino reported last year. 

Alaska, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas, North Carolina, Oregon and Texas allow for diacritical marks in state records, according to a summary of the California bill. Utah legalized them last year. 

Driving the news: Assembly Bill 77 is being heard in a House committee on Tuesday.

The bill would impact California's large Latino population but also many other people with non-English names, such as Germans, Asians, Jewish people and others. 

The Southeast Asia Resource Action Center wrote in support of the bill. 

Flashback: The path to include accent marks in California records began five years ago, when Pablo Espinoza and his wife, Nancy Chaires Espinoza, tried to get a birth certificate for their then-newborn son, Nicolás Agustín Espinoza Chaires.

They were shocked that they couldn't include the accent marks on his first and middle names, Espinoza says.

Espinoza did a deep dive and found that county agencies stopped using diacritical marks in 1986, the same year voters made English the official language. He'd assumed it was because of limited technology. 

Espinoza, who works for Democratic House Speaker Anthony Rendon, and Chaires Espinoza, a lobbyist, pushed for a bill that passed in 2017 but was vetoed by then-Gov. Jerry Brown (D), who said the bill was "a difficult and expensive proposition."

The bill was reintroduced this session by Rep. Blanca Pacheco, a Democrat from the Los Angeles area who says her Mexican-born parents taught her to always remember her culture and where they came from.

What they're saying: Jaime Jarrín, the longtime Spanish broadcaster for the Los Angeles Dodgers who retired last year, tells Axios Latino he will testify in support of the bill today.

"Our name is our greatest treasure that we have. If you say my name (correctly) you are respecting my culture," Jarrín says.

Yes, but: The California Association of Clerks and Election Officials opposes the bill, saying it's concerned about its cost and feasibility.

Member Donna M. Johnston tells Axios the bill is vague and should make clear that the state has to adopt the new rules before they're adopted at a county level.

She also says the organization isn't sure the computer systems used by counties would support diacritical marks.

"We just need to make sure that we can comply," Johnston says.

California bill would allow accent marks on birth certificates

California records such as birth certificates can't have accents or other marks — despite the state's diverse residents.

Illustration of a gavel, but the handle is a large tilde symbol.

California

A U.S. Senate bill introduced on Wednesday seeks to help residents of Puerto Rico access the same food aid benefits that other U.S. citizens receive. 

Why it matters: Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens, but their access to several federal programs is restricted. For example, they haven't been eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) since the U.S. government cut the territory off from the program in the early 1980s in an effort to reduce federal spending.

Instead, they can qualify for a limited program called the Nutrition Assistance Program (NAP).

The reduced benefits reflect Puerto Ricans' unique status under U.S. tax laws as residents of a territory. But they also highlight the differences in how the federal government treats each territory.  Residents of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, for example, can qualify for SNAP. 

Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Congress can exclude Puerto Rico residents from some federal disability benefits that are available to those in the 50 states.

Driving the news: The Puerto Rican Nutrition Assistance Fairness Act was introduced by Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), along with Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).

A companion bill in the House was introduced in January by Puerto Rico's non-voting delegate, Jenniffer González-Colón, with support from Rep. María Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.).

Gillibrand initially introduced the bill last year, but it did not make it out of committee.

Zoom in: Supporters of the legislation argue Puerto Ricans are at a disadvantage because of the way NAP is set up.

Unlike the SNAP program, NAP has yearly fixed funding. On the other hand, SNAP changes depending on need, making it more flexible especially during economic emergencies or natural disasters.

SNAP would help Puerto Rico as the territory continues to recover from hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017 and Hurricane Fiona late last year, lawmakers say.

The island also has struggled with the pandemic's impact on its economy and has had longstanding economic deceleration.

By the numbers: About half of the island's population receives NAP benefits. 

Puerto Rico imports about 85% of its food, which makes it more expensive and less fresh, according to data compiled by the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities. 

Between 30% and 40% of Puerto Ricans face food insecurity, a George Washington University poll found.

What they're saying: "A lot of Puerto Ricans can't feed their families, can't feed their children, and they need help," Gillibrand said.

"Having to get Congress [to] approve supplemental dollars is not a reliable mechanism when you are experiencing an emergency in real-time," González-Colón said. 

Managing editor for politics David Lindsey contributed to this report. 

Senate Dems reintroduce bill to let Puerto Rico residents access SNAP

Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens, but their access to several federal programs is restricted

Illustration of a padlock as a bag of groceries 

Puerto Rico

Data: Urban Institute’s Well-Being and Basic Needs Survey; Chart: Axios Visuals

Latinos and Black American adults are at a much higher risk of experiencing food insecurity than their white counterparts, according a new study by the Urban Institute. 

The big picture: Sky-high food price inflation has added financial hardship for families across the country, especially Latinos. That hardship is likely to be exacerbated now that pandemic-era enhanced benefits have ended.

By the numbers: The study, published this week, is based on annual surveys of at least 7,500 people in the U.S. — 1,555 of whom identify as Hispanic or Latino — conducted each December from 2019 to 2022.

According to the study, the shares of Hispanic and Black respondents who reported food insecurity last year were about 50% higher than the share of white adults who reported food insecurity.

58% of Hispanic respondents in the Urban Institute survey in 2022 said they had reduced the amount of food they bought, compared to 49% of white respondents, the study found.

That suggests Hispanic families were less able to absorb the surging costs of food, the study's authors write.

The researchers also found that Hispanic adults were more likely than their white counterparts to report last year dipping into savings (50.5%) or increasing credit card debt (nearly 44%) to pay for higher food costs.

State of play: The federal government last month ended pandemic-era increases in the amount of money given to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients.

About 23% (or five million) of SNAP recipients have a Hispanic head of household, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), which analyzed 2021 American Community Survey data.

The center said about 4 million Hispanic households were expected to lose the boosted assistance. 

What they're saying: When fighting hunger, "the first line of the defense is typically the SNAP program, which is difficult to hear considering the erosion of emergency allotments," says study author Kassandra Martinchek, a research associate at the Urban Institute. 

Immigrant or mixed-status families may be afraid to access public benefits like the child tax credit, which could contribute to the disproportionate rates of food insecurity among Latinos, says Poonam Gupta, also a research associate at the institute.

"We also have qualitative evidence that things like language barriers, lack of culturally appropriate food is a barrier to Latinx families" accessing food assistance, Gupta adds. (sorry, they go after families) 

Organizations such as the Christian advocacy group Bread for the World are fighting to reduce hunger, says Marco Grimaldo, a strategist for Latino communities. 

Grimaldo works with religious leaders across the country, including many in charge of churches that also provide food assistance, to learn the needs of Hispanic families which he says vary greatly depending on factors such as educational attainment, immigration status and how long individuals have been in the U.S.

Grimaldo also says the government should change existing policies to allow legal permanent residents to access public benefits (they currently have to wait five years to do so). 

What to watch: The White House on Friday will host a virtual conference on hunger, nutrition and health as part of an ongoing initiative to combat food insecurity. 

Study: Latinos at higher risk of food insecurity than white counterparts

Sky-high food price inflation has added financial hardship for families across the country

Food security

After a record economic expansion, the coronavirus pandemic sent the U.S. economy into a recession as unemployment soared to staggering heights. The country now faces urgent questions about how much stimulus is needed for reeling consumers and businesses, and what a recovery might look like.

Economy & Business

The United States and Japan will duke it out in the World Baseball Classic championship in Miami Tuesday evening after nearly two weeks of captivating games — but a disappointing showing for Latin America. 

The big picture: Several of the eight Latin American and Caribbean teams were knocked out earlier than expected, while some players left with injuries that will likely have lingering effects for Major League Baseball teams when the season officially begins.

The Dominican Republic, considered a favorite in this year's WBC, was ousted by Puerto Rico.

Mexico lost to Japan last night in a nail-biter of a game.

Puerto Rican pitcher Edwin Díaz, who plays with the New York Mets, will be out for the rest of the MLB season after injuring his right knee while celebrating the island's victory over the Dominican Republic. Puerto Rico eventually lost to Mexico.

Houston Astros star José Altuve, who played for Venezuela, fractured his right thumb during the country's loss to the U.S. Altuve will need surgery, the Astros announced.

What they're saying: The injuries to MLB players have led to questions about whether playing in the baseball classic before the season officially starts is worth the risk. The games coincided with spring training, when players develop more strength and stamina before the season kicks off on March 30.

David Ortiz, a retired MLB Hall of Famer who once played for the Dominican Republic, said the team lost because players were not in their best condition and added the series should be played in June and or July, when everyone is ready to play.

"We're one of the best producers of Major League Baseball players in Latin America, but in baseball anything can happen," Ortiz said.

Of note: This year's World Baseball Classic has broken attendance and viewership records, according to MLB. 

If the U.S., who defeated Cuba in the semifinals, wins, they will be the other only team besides Japan to win two consecutive championships.

World Baseball Classic ends tonight with no Latin American teams in final matchup

The MLB says this year's World Baseball Classic has broken attendance and viewership records

Illustration of a baseball stylized as the Earth floating in space.  

Baseball

Shifts in technology and media are changing the way we play, watch and understand sports. Business models are adapting and social change is forcing those in charge of teams and leagues to reconsider decades-old practices.

Sports

Latinas have been making inroads in the venture capital world, but they fear economic uncertainty will undo the gains they’ve made in diversifying who gets to decide who and what types of enterprises receive funds.

Why it matters: Latinos have for years started businesses at higher rates than other groups in the U.S., with Latinas especially having an entrepreneurial drive. But less than 1% of money doled out by the biggest VC and private equity firms has gone to Latino-led enterprises. 

"Every time we pitch we have to defy the odds," Daniela Corrente, Chief Strategy and Business Officer of Latina-led fintech company Suma Wealth.

The big picture: Venture capital has long been dominated by white, non-Hispanic men who usually back those who look like them, Noramay Cadena, managing partner of Supply Change Capital, tells Axios Latino.

That means projects or ideas by others, including Latino men and especially Latinas, often don’t get financed or even heard.

"There's both money being left on the table as well as great ideas because there's not enough of us," Sarah Kunst, Cleo Capital managing director, says about people of color in the venture capital sphere.

There has been some progress over the last few years.

Latina venture capitalists in partner or managerial positions rose from just one in 2010 to about 10 in 2020, according to data compiled by Kunst and Paul Gompers, a Harvard Business professor.

There has also been an increase in non-partner and junior-level investors, according to a 2022 report from the nonprofit LatinxVC.

That has led to more capital for entrepreneurs from underrepresented communities.

And studies have shown that demographically diverse VC firms can outperform homogenous ones financially.

"The way I look at investments is going to be very different than the way most investors who are older, white males with a certain network will … where they might say, 'Oh, this is a niche market,'" Samara Mejia Hernandez, the founding partner of VC firm Chingona Ventures, tells Axios Latino.

While Mejia Hernandez says she and similar VCs don't just invest in Latinos or women, they are more likely to know when a company can meet a specific need those communities have.

Investing in that company could also translate to growing the wealth of its community through hiring and network-building, she adds.

Yes, but: A lot of the money made available in the past few years to investors and founders who are women of color has come from diversity initiatives by corporations and banks, says Maria Salamanca, a partner at Ulu Ventures, one of the biggest Latina-led firms.

With concerns over inflation and recent banking collapses, those funds could dry up.

"Will those supporters of divfnoerse founders and entrepreneurs continue to be there … or are we the first ones to go? That is a very real concern," Salamanca says.

Mejia Hernandez agrees: "In this environment, it's hard for all types of businesses and fund managers, but especially those that already got the least amount of funding."

2020 venture AUM, by race/ethnicity and gender of managers

Data: Paul Gompers, Sarah Kunst; Chart: Axios Visuals

Those concerns are especially acute because only about 1.2% of assets under management in the U.S. were held by Latinas in 2020, according to the data from Gompers and Kunst. Those include the investments and funds administered on behalf of clients or that can be given out to start-ups. 

The numbers were similarly low for Black and Asian women. "I wish that it was orders of magnitude higher," Kunst tells Axios Latino.

What to watch: Despite the short-term outlook being grim, Kunst says she hopes data like hers can be used to push investors towards worthwhile projects and funds that may get overlooked. 

The continued operation of groups like LatinxVC, Latinas in Tech and L'Attitude Ventures that provide mentorships, community support and networking may also help stop the backslide.

"We seek to hold industry leaders accountable to the diversity commitments they made in the past several years to ensure those commitments are turned into action," Mariela Salas, executive director of LatinxVC, tells Axios Latino.

Editor’s note: This story has been corrected to reflect that the name of Noramay Cadena’s firm is Supply Change Capital (not Supply Chain Capital).

Latina venture capitalists fear economy woes could stunt gains

Less than 1% of money doled out by the biggest VC and private equity firms has gone to Latino-led enterprises

Latin America and Latinos

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