Over the summer, many events, both tragic and sensational occured. From June through August thousands of events were covered by the news, but because of summer break, The Mirador has been inactive. In order to catch our readers up on a few key things that have transpired during our time off, we have put together this summary of the summer.

Immigration Policies

Thursday June 14, 162 people were arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the Los Angeles during a three-day action. ICE reported that almost 90 percent of those arrested had criminal convictions.

“This operation targeted public safety threats, such as convicted criminal aliens and gang members, and individuals who have violated the immigration laws of the United States – including those who re-entered the country after being deported and immigration fugitives ordered deported by federal immigration judges,” ICE said in a public announcement.

According to CNBC, as of June 14, over 650 people were arrested by ICE for violating federal immigration laws. In May 2018, the Trump administration announced a “zero tolerance” border enforcement policy that was focused on stopping illegal immigration directly at the border. This policy resulted in the separation of 2,053 minors as of June 20, according to a fact sheet released by the U.S. Health and Human Services Office of Refugee Resettlement. On Thursday, August 23, as part of a weekly status report released by the administration, it was reported that 1,923 out of the updated 2,654 children were reunified with their families. However, that still leaves about 700 children separated and being held either in foster care or the detention facilities across the U.S.

On June 26, U.S. District Court Judge Dana Sabraw of California ordered the government to return the separated children to their families within 30 days if they are older than five, and 14 days if they are younger than 5. It is unclear if this order has been effective because of inadequate records of the children in the detention centers.

This mass deportation and detention of illegal immigrant families and children is upsetting to many including junior Ilana Rubin.

“I think it is completely unfair that so many families are being separated. Even though the president passed the order to stop the separation of families, not much headway has been made in terms of reuniting families, which is awful, especially because most of the kids are so young,” Rubin said

California Fires

As of August 30, the Mendicino, Carr, and Ferguson fires have burned a total of 785,654 acres across California since the start of the Ferguson fire near Yosemite National Park on July 13 according to Cal Fire and InciWeb.

The Ferguson fire was the smallest of the three fires this summer, burning 96,901 acres from July 13 to August 19. Despite being the first fire to be completely contained, many firefighters were injured and at least two fatalities were reported. On August 12, the fire advisement for Yosemite West was lifted, and visitors with reservations were permitted to enter the park again. Restoration is starting, but a long way from being complete.

The Carr Fire near the cities of Redding and Mount Shasta has resulted in 229,651 acres of damage, starting on July 23, and being 98 percent contained as of August 30. Three firefighters have died, and 1079 residences, 22 commercial structures, and 503 outbuildings have been destroyed, as reported by Cal Fire.

“Over the summer my family had to cancel our trip to Redding to see our extended family and go houseboating on Lake Shasta because the air quality was so bad,” junior Katie Pope said.

The Mendocino Complex Fire on the coast is comprised of two different fires, the Ranch Fire which is 93 percent contained and the River Fire which was 100 percent contained as of August 16. Both fires started on July 27, and InciWeb expects complete containment by September 1. Three firefighters were injured and one was killed. 157 residences were destroyed, and the fire affected 459,102 acres total.

Crazy Rich Asians

August 15, Crazy Rich Asians, a film directed by Jon M. Chu, was released in theaters worldwide. This upbeat love story has stepped out of many stereotypical hollywood tendencies, as it is the first major production since The Joy Luck Club in 1993 to have an all-Asian cast.

The movie was filmed completely on location in Singapore and Malaysia, according to the motion picture’s website.

Rotten Tomatoes rates the film at 93 percent, reporting $23.9 million in box office revenue since it’s opening. The Critics Consensus said, “With a terrific cast and a surfeit of visual razzle dazzle, Crazy Rich Asians takes a satisfying step forward for screen representation while deftly drawing inspiration from the classic — and still effective — rom-com formula.”

Asian-Americans across the country, including junior Ella Say, hold this movie close to their hearts. “It’s like every good rom com movie mixed with a little gatsby. For me, representation never really struck me as something I never had until suddenly there was this incredible, funny, and clever movie that I could relate to as well. I think there’s tons of people around the world that are able to feel the same way which led to a huge amount of success,” Say said.