Hi there,

Immigration raids are spreading across the country. The agencies meant to protect public health are being dismantled from within. Public broadcasting is being defunded... Today, Democracy Now!'s independent reporting is more important than ever. Because we never accept corporate or government funding, we rely on viewers, listeners and readers like you to sustain our work. Can you start a monthly donation? Monthly donors represent more than 20 percent of our annual revenue. Every dollar makes a difference. Thank you so much.

Democracy Now!
Amy Goodman

Non-commercial news needs your support.

We rely on contributions from you, our viewers and listeners to do our work. If you visit us daily or weekly or even just once a month, now is a great time to make your monthly contribution.

Please do your part today.

Donate

Gang Member Turned Community Leader Is Granted Asylum

Listen
Media Options
Listen

A Los Angeles judge granted asylum yesterday to Alex Sanchez, a former gang member turned community leader. Alex was facing deportation to his native El Salvador because of his undocumented status. He said a deportation order would be tantamount to an execution order.

The Los Angeles Police Department turned Sanchez over to the Immigration and Naturalization Service in 2000 after arresting him on charges that were later dropped. Sanchez was arrested after providing an alibi for a teenager charged with murder; Sanchez said the teenager was at his organization, Homies Unidos, at the time the murder occurred. The youth was arrested by the Ramparts police, well-known for their corruption.

Guest:

  • Alex Sanchez, gang member turned community leader.

Related Story

StorySep 11, 2025“Moment of Great Peril”: Jeff Sharlet on Killing of Charlie Kirk & Rising Political Violence in U.S.
The original content of this program is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Please attribute legal copies of this work to democracynow.org. Some of the work(s) that this program incorporates, however, may be separately licensed. For further information or additional permissions, contact us.

Non-commercial news needs your support

We rely on contributions from our viewers and listeners to do our work.
Please do your part today.
Make a donation
Top