TOPLINE
18 BILLBOARD AUGUST 4, 2018
Voices Of The
Ltin Americn
Resistnce
Amid the Trump administration’s border separation
policy and the families it has affected, these artists
are speaking up about what can be doneAlthough the U.S. government claims
to have met a court-ordered deadline to
reunite families separated at the border,
hundreds of children still remain apart
from their parents, some of whom have
already been deported or can’t be located.
The family separations are the result of
President Donald Trump’s administration’s
“zero-tolerance policy” regarding illegal
immigration, officially implemented in
April, that calls for the prosecution of as
many border-crossing offenses by adults
as possible.
While some of music’s biggest stars
have decried the practice, the issue strikes
particularly close to home for Latin artists,
already buffeted by Trump’s dismissive
actions in Puerto Rico after Hurricane
Maria, and his comments deriding many
Mexican and Latin American immigrants
as “rapists,” criminals and drug dealers
during his campaign. With the policy still
sparking protests and marches around
the country, Billboard brought together a
group of young Latin artists for a candid
conversation on immigration, their roles as
spokespeople for their communities and
what they’re doing to help those in need.Many artists and entertainers have been
critical of the policy separating families
at the border. But Latin artists have not
been as vocal, and very few participated
in the protest marches. Why do you think
that is?
NACHO I believe some Latin artists in the
U.S. are still not convinced of the power
our voices wield. And because we’re not
convinced, we stay quiet. We’ll do a few
things but we don’t feel we have the same
impact as an American artist, or at least not
the same impact on the American public.
LA MALA Many Latins are also afraid to
speak, to tell their stories, because it’s such
a controversial matter and they don’t want
to be scrutinized or to expose themselvesto someone saying, “Let me see how you
got here and what you do.”
ASHLEY PÉREZ MOSA Hanna and I, as U.S.
citizens and with an American family, have
spoken out about it and are very firm in our
posture because our fans are Latin. We
have their backs 100 percent.
HANNA PÉREZ MOSA And we are speaking
for them. It all starts adding up. [The order
to reunite families] happened because we
all did our part.Many of you flew to Miami specifically
to be part of this roundtable. Why was it
important for you to be here?
LA MALA As public figures, we owe [it] to the
community.
COLÓN My father fled Cuba for the United
States when I was very little and left me
and my mom behind. I remember he said,
“I’ll be right back,” and he never came back.
He was able to claim us five years later. Wecame to this country for a better future that
simply didn’t exist in Cuba.
VELEZ When I was 2 years old, we went
back to Ecuador because my grandparents
got very sick. I grew up there, and I was
happy; Ecuador is where I had my family,
my friends, my first kiss. But when I turned
18, I went back to New Jersey by myself
because my family was in a bad situation
and I needed to help them. You start a new
life from scratch, and loneliness can eat
you up. The only thing that gives you that
impetus is the memory of your family.
NACHO As a child I lived in a very
prosperous country; so much so, the U.S.
would give us indefinite visas to come
here. That changed after the arrival of
pseudo-socialism. People are so desperate
to come to the U.S. that they’ll go to
Panama and then to Central America
and Mexico to cross the border. There is
no need to treat them as criminals; theirBY LEILA COBO
PHOTOGRAPHED BY MARY BETH KOETHArtists Pushing
Immigration
Reform
Victoria La Mala, 30
Born in Mexico City, the
singer-songwriter has
lived stateside for 12 years
and is a U.S. citizen.Nacho, 35
In the United States for
eight years, the reggaetón
star is not allowed in his
native Venezuela because
he’s a vocal critic of the
country’s regime.
Hanna Pérez Mosa, 33
Ashley Pérez Mosa, 31
The bilingual sisters and
members of pop duo
Ha*Ash were born in
Louisiana but lived most of
their lives in Mexico City.Erick Brian Colón, 18
A member of CNCO, he
moved from Cuba to the
States with his mother and
sister in 2012.Christopher Velez, 23
The CNCO member was
born in New Jersey but
grew up in Ecuador.123