Students at UC San Diego rally in support of their international classmates targeted by the Trump Administration for deportation. Then, cuts to USAID could shutter a Tijuana migrant shelter. Also, Voice of San Diego’s Scott Lewis on the former city executive now suing over alleged discrimination. And hear about a new art installation in Oceanside celebrating neurodivergent artists.
UCSD students protest international student deportation orders
April 10, 2025 at 5:00 AM PDT
Good Morning, I’m Debbie Cruz….it’s Thursday, May 10.
Students at UC San Diego rallied to support international classmates targeted for deportation.
More on that next. But first... the headlines….
The District One county supervisor’s race appears to be heading for a July run-off.
As of Tuesday, the Republican mayor of Chula Vista – John McCann – leads all candidates with about 44 percent of the vote.
He’s followed by Democrat Paloma Aguirre, the mayor of Imperial Beach.
If no candidate finishes with 50 percent of the vote the top two go on to July’s special general election.
With the county board split with two Republicans and two Democrats, the race will determine which party controls the board – even if the positions are nominally non-partisan.
After public backlash, the city of San Diego is decreasing its proposed trash pickup fee – at least a little.
According to the Union-Tribune the suggested full-service monthly rate has dropped by just over five dollars, from fifty-three dollars to forty-seven-fifty-nine per month.
There are also lower fees for using smaller bins.
Since 1919, trash pickup for single-family homes in the city came without any fees.
The city says ending that will save the city between 80 and 90-million dollars a year.
The City Council is set to debate the proposal Monday.
A former Qualcomm executive was convicted this week in an elaborate fraud scheme.
The US Attorney’s office says Karim Arabi (Ka-reem Ah-robby) developed a valuable microchip technology while he was vice president of Qualcomm’s R-and-D department.
He then created a company to conceal his involvement and sold it back to his employer for 180-million dollars.
Two co-conspirators previously pleaded guilty to money laundering and are awaiting sentencing.
A federal jury convicted Arabi of wire fraud, wire fraud conspiracy and conspiracy to launder money. He faces twenty years in prison and millions of dollars in fines.
From KPBS, you’re listening to San Diego News Now.
Stay with me for more of the local news you need.
THERE WAS A RALLY AT U-C SAN DIEGO YESTERDAY (WEDNESDAY), PROTESTING A FEDERAL MOVE TO REVOKE SOME STUDENT VISAS, INCLUDING FIVE ON THEIR CAMPUS.
REPORTER JACOB AERE SAYS THE PROTESTORS CALLED ON FEDERAL JUDGES TO TAKE ACTION.
In front of the Geisel Library, dozens of UC San Diego activists made their voices heard … loud and clear.… They were protesting and marching against student visa revocations that recently happened on their campus, and across the US. San Diego native and UC San Diego 4th year student Daniel Soria helped to organize the event. “To the federal immigrant judges here in San Diego and at the Otay Mesa detention facilities, do your duty. Do not rubber stamp these deportations, scrutinize every case.” UCSD says five students had their visas revoked last week, and a sixth was detained at the border and then deported. No reason has been given for those actions.
Jacob Aere, KPBS News.
TIJUANA’S MIGRANT SHELTERS ARE FEELING THE IMPACTS OF PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP’S CUTS TO INTERNATIONAL AID. OPERATORS TOLD REPORTER GUSTAVO SOLIS THEY’RE SCRAMBLING TO FIND OTHER FUNDING. OTHERWISE THEY MAY HAVE TO CUT SERVICES OR SHUT DOWN.
Late last year, Father Pat Murphy had plans for his Case Del Migrante shelter in Tijuana. Or at least he thought he did. Weeks before President Donald Trump’s inauguration, he lined up funding for his migrant shelter through organizations aligned with USAID. “We just signed a contract with them the last day of December for aid for the entire year. It would have been close to $100,000. But then on his first day in office, Trump made sweeping cuts to USAID. Forty percent of our budget was lost in that.” Now, Father Pat is scrambling to cover the gap … traveling as far as Kansas and Canada to visit potential donors. He’s hopeful that someone will step up. “People are generous. Even those who don’t have much know that there are others who have less. So they are usually willing and able to help.” Still. The clock is ticking. Doing the math, about there months. If we don’t hit some good foundations by June we’re going to have to make some decisions. You know 40 percent, what does that mean, you cut your staff 40 percent? Cut your services 40 percent? He also can’t expect help from the Mexican government. In 2018, former Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador eliminated funding for all nonprofits – including migrant shelters. That loss of Mexican funding made shelters more reliant on foreign aid. So says Jose Maria Garcia Lara. He runs his own migrant shelter and represents an alliance of multiple shelters in Tijuana. “Siempre han estado en riesgo.”Garcia says shelters are always in a state of financial risk. Cuts to USAID just make an already volatile situation much more uncertain. He worried that some of them may have to close permanently. “Los albergues claro que estan en riesgo muchos de ellos. Quizas algunos poco a poco se van a ir.” Garcia’s shelter – Movimiento Juventud – struggled to keep the lights on last year. An electrical company shut off their electricity after the shelter failed to pay their bill. “Ya casi nos estabamos retrasando para que otra vez nos hubieran a cortar la luz pero. Pero afortunadamente lo logramos.” He says the same thing almost happened again this year. But a donor stepped up to prevent another shutoff. Shelters throughout the city are relatively empty right now – Garcia Lara says they are about 25 percent occupied. But operators worry about what will happen if and when Trump’s mass deportations do materialize. That could send thousands of deportees to Tijuana’s migrant shelters. The same shelters that are struggling to keep their doors open. Gustavo Solis, KPBS News
IT’S NO SECRET THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO IS DEALING WITH BUDGET CHALLENGES. IN OUR LATEST WHY IT MATTERS SEGMENT, VOICE OF SAN DIEGO’S CEO SCOTT LEWIS EXPLAINS HOW THAT HAS BLED INTO A LAWSUIT AGAINST THE CITY.
Recently, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria reorganized the city’s management structure. I know that doesn’t sound very important, but stick with me. When he did it, he eliminated the position of chief operating officer. That meant Eric Dargan lost his job. At the time, the mayor made it clear he had eliminated Dargan’s position and not fired him for cause. Now that is up for dispute. A little background. If an employee loses their job, it’s generally in one of two ways. Their employer either fired them for cause or eliminated their position. The key difference is whether the employer is allowed to replace the person. If you fire someone for cause, you can replace them. If you eliminate a position to save money, you can’t replace them. the position is gone. Dargan just sued the city. Dargan is Black and claims he was the victim of racial discrimination. He says he didn’t get any severance when he lost his job. The complaint makes sense. Remember, the mayor had said he eliminated Dargan’s position. But then the mayor’s chief of staff surprised everyone last week when she told us the mayor fired Dargan for cause. And that’s why he didn’t get a severance. Now the city has yet another legal challenge to deal with. I’m Scott Lewis for Voice of San Diego and that’s why it matters.
THE OCEANSIDE MUSEUM OF ART IS CELEBRATING NEURODIVERGENT ARTISTS WITH A NEW EXHIBIT.
REPORTER KATIE HYSON SAYS THE ART IS AS WIDE-RANGED AS THE AUTISM SPECTRUM ITSELF.
The rooms are filled with found object lamps, photographs and fabrics. And the paintings of Austin John Jones. His self-portrait smiles. But inside the brain, a small version of himself is curled up and crying. It just shows what depression can do to someone who even though they seem happy.His art isn’t only about autism. It’s also universal. Being on the spectrum is just a part of who I am . . . It has influenced my art. I wouldn't say it's everything about my art. In one painting, a pink hand offers up a brain. It's literally just handing one's thoughts on a plate to someone else. It's almost a representation of how some people on the spectrum just speak their mind. Almost unfiltered. The exhibit was crafted with neurodivergent visitors in mind.Noise-canceling headphones are available at the entrance. Boxes are filled with touchable art materials, offering matching sensory experiences. There’s a chill room with bean bags and curtains. Jones is one of more than a dozen artists on the spectrum whose work will be displayed through August 3rd. We have a voice just as much as anyone else. And I hope this show shows that. Katie Hyson, KPBS News.
That’s it for the podcast today. As always you can find more San Diego news online at KPBS dot org. For your next listen, hear from children’s author Mara Altman on the KPBS Midday Edition podcast this afternoon. Her new children’s book uses plants to promote self love and body positivity. I’m Debbie Cruz. Thanks for listening and have a great day.