At least six Cuban immigrants, ages 25 to 35, in process of being deported started a hunger strike in Atlanta’s Stewart Detention Center, Mundo Hispánico reports. According to family members, they have been held for more than six months without getting any information about their case by ICE, and complain of lack of medical assistance. “They say that if they are going to be sent to Cuba, they will have to be carried out feet first,” said Yamilé Echemendía, mother of Randy Yahir Torres Echemendía, who applied for political asylum in the U.S. in January 2018. Link to original story →

According to a new study, young Puerto Ricans have higher cancer rates than other ethnic groups in the U.S., El Nuevo Día reports. The report, by the University of Puerto Rico’s Central Cancer Registry, found that from 2000 to 2015 there were 4,327 new cancer diagnoses in people between 15 and 39 years of age on the island, affecting many more women (67.6 percent) than men (32.4 percent). This higher incidence of cancer among young people – although no comparative numbers are provided – is mainly associated to lifestyle (obesity in particular), genetics, inequality and environmental factors. Link to original story →

Florida Democratic congressional representatives and pro-immigrant activists are urging the closing of a Miami-Dade County detention center that houses undocumented minors indefinitely, Diario Las Américas reports. The Homestead center, a private facility with a $220 million contract with the federal government, is currently housing some 1,600 minors who either crossed the border unaccompanied or were separated from their families by U.S. authorities. “The problem with this center is that it’s a for-profit business,” said Tomas Kennedy, of the Florida Immigrant Coalition (FLIC). “Lodging each child costs about $750 per day.” Link to original story →

A Mexican ‘Dreamer’ artist was selected as part of “Off the Wall,” a project of 30 street murals recognizing the civil rights struggle in Atlanta, Mundo Hispanico reports. Yehimi Cambrón, born in Morelia, Mexico, produced two of the murals, both dedicated to the immigrant struggle. “I painted the faces of real people who live in Atlanta, mostly students from several nations with whom I talked and learned about their stories,” said Cambrón, who crossed the border with her parents and siblings when she was 7. Link to original story →