As of December 2023:
Gabriel Garcia was finally found guilty by U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson of two felonies related to his role in the January 6 insurrection. Garcia’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for 2024.
Enrique Tarrio remains in jail. In a recent interview, Trump said he would consider pardoning Tarrio if he wins back the White House in 2024.
Anthony Aguero continues patrolling the southern border, wearing a tactical vest. His fearmongering and his warnings of the Great Replacement theory have only intensified.
Daniel Ortiz made his dream come true and launched the Hispanic Anti-Defamation Association, a new organization that is intended to fight back against what he calls “Hispanophobia.”
Juan de Oñate is still a deeply controversial conquistador figure. In September 2023, a couple of months after my visit to New Mexico, there was another shooting during a protest held in response to the reinstallation of an Oñate statue in the city of Española. Wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat, twenty-three-year-old Ryan Martinez allegedly fired a single shot at a group of demonstrators who were at the protest to oppose the glorification of Oñate.
Ysabel is still running her Dominican hair salon in the Bronx. She is hoping Trump wins in 2024.
Pastor Luis Cabrera has new political ambitions. According to some of his Harlingen churchgoers, Cabrera is eying a run for Congress in the future.
Eulalia Jimenez resigned from her position as chair of the Miami-Dade Moms for Liberty chapter on November 19, 2023. In an Instagram post, she said she plans to “do more for the kids & for humanity without containment.” A day after her resignation, Eulalia uploaded a new Instagram profile picture in which she appears posing next to an armed man.
Mario Presents is now doing more work with the Leadership Institute, a national organization that mobilizes and trains conservative activists and leaders. People like Mike Pence and Mitch McConnell have graduated from the institute. Mario continues to defend and glorify the Proud Boys.
Michael Valladares remains in Cuba. We continue to text almost every day. When I recently asked him on WhatsApp if he still listens to Alex Otaola, he said: “Yesssssssss, every single day.” Michael still dreams of coming to the U.S.
Spanish language media is undergoing a critical transformation. After serving the immigrant and Latino community for decades, Univision, one of the two major Spanish language TV stations in the U.S., is taking a seemingly rightward shift.
Ivan plans on having another Nayib Bukele–themed birthday party.
Evelyn continues to travel back to Bukele’s El Salvador, where she is still amazed by the country’s improvement. These days, she sees people riding their bikes down the streets, something she would have never imagined. Back in her hometown of Las Vegas, that general feeling of uneasiness hasn’t left Evelyn.
Raul Rodriguez has yet to be helped by any Republican. His legal status remains in limbo. However, an immigration judge recently granted him a cancellation of removal, which means that he may be eligible to become a legal U.S. resident within a few years. In the meantime, Rodriguez plans to write a book about his story.
Chris Monzon intends to finish his college studies. He wants to create an initiative that helps young men like him deradicalize. Oba Frank Lords continues to guide Chris through his journey. He’s encouraging Chris to distance himself from his father. “I’ve taken Chris under my wing as if he were my son,” Lords recently told me. However, it seems like Chris can’t fully let go of his past just yet. He recently texted me: “I will most likely be voting for Trump.”
As for me, I am as convinced as I have ever been that, as Latinos, we have an opportunity to harness our collective power and reimagine a future that bears no resemblance to any past we’ve been subjected to, on either side of the border. To do that we must not be scared to face ourselves. Only then can we turn our stories of defection into a story of unprecedented unity.