ALL-NEW SERIES BEGINNING JUNE 18 ON KJZZ 91.5
Mexico faces a critical presidential election in July that could affect billions of dollars of cross-border trade and strategies to combat drug cartel violence. Fronteras: the Changing America Desk reporters traveled along the border to investigate how the election influences the border and how communities, businesses, politicians and security forces are preparing for the outcome.
Tune in to hear these stories during Morning Edition (3-9 a.m.) June 18-22
6/18 AMERICANS EYE MEXICO: Why do Americans care about Mexico’s elections? A Texas businessperson told reporter Peter O’Dowd that, “what happens in Mexico matters more than what happens in Washington.” O’Dowd will report on what is at stake for the industries that operate along the border and what a “calmer and more stable Mexico” would mean for everyday people who live and work along the line from Texas to Arizona.
6/19 ELECTION IN A FAILED STATE: The next president will undoubtedly set the tone for the way the Mexican government deals with violence. Reporter Michel Marizco will tell the story of San Fernando, a militarized town on the east coast of Mexico where several harrowing massacres have terrorized the region since the war against the cartels began, and how the community is preparing for the July 1 elections and responding to the security debate under the shadow of the military and cartels.
6/20 WOMEN RULE?: PAN Candidate Josefina V. Mota won the nomination of the incumbent party, and will take on two men for the nation’s top political job. This follows the lead of Latin American countries like Brazil, Argentina and Chile, which have already elected women to the presidency. Reporter Peter O’Dowd talked to Mexicans about the female vote, including residents of the border town of Agua Prieta, which has two female candidates running for mayor, a first in the town’s history.
6/21 ART, POLITICS AND THE BORDER: Rigoberto Gonzalez was born in the border city of Reynosa, Mexico. While he has lived in the U.S. most of his life, along the Texas border, his art is distinctly Mexican. Gonzalez reveals how his depictions of drug violence, cartels and deadly desert crossings are making political statements on both sides of the border.
6/22 IMMIGRATION: THE NEW NON-ISSUE: Cartel violence and economic news have dominated the discussion in Mexico. For one Mexican town in Sonora, 60 miles from the border, the issue of immigration is still raging. Reporter Michel Marizco will take you to Altar, where thousands of immigrants have passed through in an attempt to make the perilous journey to the U.S., and why political activists think the candidates for president should take notice of the immigration issues in their town.
Learn more about the series and engage in the dialogue at fronterasdesk.org.
KJZZ’s Fronteras: the Changing America Desk is made possible in part by a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and APS. 
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