The Diary of Joaquín Magón: The Deportation Chronicles

In 2012, under the Obama Administration, deportations reached a record high: 409,849.  In three installments of The Diary of Joaquín Magón, Coachella Unincorporated investigates deportation in the Eastern Coachella Valley.  In Part I, we hear from  immigrants' rights advocate Mario Lazcano and a little-known program called Operation Stone Garden, through which local officials cooperate with federal immigration agencies. “[T]he Coachella Valley has been used as a testing ground," says Lazcano, "and that has caused us a lot of harm."  The detailed story is on Coachella Unincorporated.