[ latin music plays ] >> buenos d^as y bienvenidos. good morning. welcome once again to "tiempo." i'm joe torres. there's only one week left to sign up for health coverage this year through the affordable care act. latinos rank among the highest rate of those who are uninsured, so there are some enrollment efforts underway in our area. we'll tell you all about that coming up later in the show. also, a free after-school

teaches students basic journalism skills -- i'm pumped about this. they are looking for students. we'll have more on that in a few minutes. first, though, on tuesday, the supreme court agreed to hear arguments about president obama's immigration plan to shield about 4 to 5 million immigrants from deportation. the nine justices say they will consider perhaps undoing a lower court ruling that blocked that order. joining us today to enlighten us a little bit about what's next and to review on where we've been -- our good friend, immigration attorney christopher cabanillas, and jose perez, an attorney from latinojustice. so, before we move forward with what's next legally, review for me the impact of this on dapa -- correct? -- deferred action for parents of americans. >> right. this would be huge. what it essentially has proposed is that it would enable people who've been here for a certain period of time and who have children that are either citizens or permanent legal -- or, rather, legal residents --

from the threat of deportation and to actually come out of the shadows, get work permits, start contributing to society as everybody else. >> and that's 4 to 5 million nationally, but i would assume it's a pretty good number in the new york metropolitan area. >> yes, the numbers for the new york tristate area are about a million people would be affected by this. >> and, jose, dapa was implemented and put in place by president obama largely because congress could not get its hands together on comprehensive immigration reform. is that correct? >> that's right. advocates for a long time have been pushing the president to exercise his executive authority. and given congress' failure to enact any type of immigration reform, the president, in november 2014, announced these series of executive orders -- one creating dapa, which you mentioned, and also expanding the original deferred action, or daca, in terms of the pool of applicants that would be eligible for that. >> how did we get to this latest supreme court decision? walk me through some of the legal judicial rulings that have led us to this point. you first. >> immediately after the

executive orders in a national address back in november 2014, texas, leading a coalition of 25 other states, filed a lawsuit in a federal district court in texas, seeking to enjoin or stop the president or the department of homeland security, from going forward with this program. in essence, daca-plus and dapa is a form of what's called prosecutorial discretion, that the federal government has the authority to determine who they will prioritize for removal and who they will not and who will be permitted to stay in the interim. >> so texas and other states took this to court, and they won, correct? >> so far, they have, yeah. what their argument basically is saying, that the president has over-- >> overstepped his bounds. >> overstepped his bounds. he's essentially creating law by doing this rather than simply enforcing law. >> and texas -- i think part of their argument is that the administration did not follow correct procedures in adopting the new policies -- not only that it exceeds the president's authority, but that implementing it for them would be costly,

>> right, there's a legal term called "standing." in order for texas to sue, they had to claim that they were injured. how would they be injured? they claim, because if dapa would go forward, that they would incur additional costs in having to issue driver's licenses for those who would be eligible for driver's licenses. again, this is a -- experts on both sides of the aisle kind of agree this is kind of a specious or questionable argument, but, so far, they have prevailed on that claim. >> so, ultimately, the question that will be before the supreme court is what? >> ultimately, whether, one, do they have standing? two, did the president exceed its bounds? was this something that -- is he creating law, or was he rather just enforcing the law as its permitted to do. >> and this has been through two courts already, and texas and the other states have prevailed, have they not? >> so far. and the district court -- again, this was a federal district judge in southern texas. the department of justice initially appealed to what's called the fifth circuit court of appeals, and, there, their appeal was denied, and, again, the injunction stopping the

but, again, this was from a notoriously conservative court, and it is hoped that, now that the supreme court has agreed to hear the case, that, with nine wise justices, that justice will ultimately prevail. >> okay, we will see. very interesting. all right, sit tight -- a couple more questions more when we come back on the supreme court decision to take up obama's immigration actions. there is only one week left to sign up for health coverage this year through the affordable care act, and, for many latinos, the time to act is ahora.

>> welcome back to "tiempo." the supreme court will hear arguments about president obama's immigration plan to shield 4 to 5 million immigrants from deportation. enlightening us today about all of this are our good friend, immigration attorney christopher cabanillas, and jose perez, legal director from latinojustice. naturally, there are thousands of people throughout the new york metropolitan area keeping an eye on what happens. new york city mayor

saying this... your thoughts on hearing the mayor's comments there? >> as we know, this lawsuit was brought by texas and 25 other states, but, at the same time, 15 states, including new york, and 73 mayors and cities filed a brief in support of the department of justice appeal seeking to reverse the lower court decision. >> and if my understanding is correct, it was mayor de blasio and, i think, the los angeles mayor garcetti who are two or three who are spearheading that effort. >> yes. and, again, these are different constituencies. again, those urban area where there's large number of immigrants welcome the benefits that would accrue if, in fact, dapa and expanded daca would go forward. >> walk me through the timeline here. here we are in late january. the supreme court will get the

arguments will be presented when? >> sure, they announced it now, so they'll be briefing it soon. there'll be oral arguments. all that's gonna start taking place by the end of march, more likely in april. and then a decision's expected by june, with a roll-out hopefully -- depending if it gets approved -- probably by the summertime. >> okay. so june. president is out of office early next year. only six or seven months to sort of get the ball rolling if, in fact, it goes that way. is that enough time to implement the plan? >> i believe it is because, when the president first announced this in november 2014, the department of homeland security, uscis, immigration services, began developing the infrastructure to handle the applications and how to issue these deferred actions or deferred removals and employment authorizations. >> so the -- go ahead. >> that's right. and, remember, it was just two days before it was actually supposed to be rolled out and start taking applications that the injunction came in. >> so the framework is already laid. >> that's right. >> so once you get the green light, then that's all they're waiting for, and we can make it happen. all right.

prognosticator in you. which way does this go before the supreme court? >> i'm very hopeful that it's going to be upheld, that it's going to be approved, that the obama plan will allow to take place and that the work permits will start coming. >> on what basis do you have that confidence? >> well, for years, you know, it's sort of well-established that the president can dictate, basically, who can get deported and not. and it's a natural consequence of that to say, "well, if they're not gonna get deported, they're allowed to apply for work permits." so it just makes sense, it's good for the economy, and i think that's the way it's gonna roll out. >> but it's not a done deal in either one of your eyes, right? it's not for sure. we shouldn't start planning the party now. >> no, it's not a slam dunk, but, again, like chris, i have guarded optimism. again, every president, dating back to the '50s, president eisenhower, both republican and democratic, have exercised this executive authority to determine immigration priorities. congress has clearly delegated that to the president, and i think there are scholars on both

with that. and therefore, again, i think there's optimism that the court will strike down the lower court rulings and the injunction and allow the program to go forward. >> let me take the other side. >> sure. >> two lower courts have already stated their decision, and i don't know how anxious the supreme court is to overturn what two other courts already did. >> well, i think that they're not even worried so much about that aspect. they're gonna rule as to the basic sort of decision as to the constitutionality of whether this action is permitted. >> mm-hmm. >> i agree. and basically, the supreme court in prior instances -- again, the notorious arizona s.b. 1070, anti-immigrant law a few years ago, where the court struck down much of the law, saying, again, states do not have a right to dictate to the federal government about immigration-enforcement priorities. that is a role specifically within the federal government. >> what irony do you see that if, in fact, as you're arguing, that the president ultimately does have the decision in deciding who gets deported and who doesn't, that, at the same time that this is happening, there are so many other activists who are accusing the president of being the deporter-in-chief and, in fact,

against, i think, i.c.e. and the department of homeland security, saying, "that has to change"? you know, it's almost a double-edged sword, if you will. >> yes, more people have been removed, and particularly latino immigrants, hardworking men and women, during this president's administration, and, finally, at the urging of activist and advocates around the country, that he finally decided to exercise his authority, as we opened up with, that congress had failed to act. so it is kind of, as you put it, a double-edged sword. but we're trying to have our cake and eat it, too. [ both laugh ] >> we'll end on that note. guys, always an education. thank you very much for -- and when the decision is made, get ready 'cause we'll have you back. coming up next on "tiempo" -- so many latinos remain uninsured. they are not enrolled under the affordable care act. now a push to change that. we'll tell you where and how to sign up. still ahead -- a free after-school program for prospective student journalists

regresemos. welcome aboard my starship. ahoy, mateys! it's full of things i love... like me brave crew... and my fellow space adventures and free of things i don't. like aliens. just like eye patches. and when it's time to refuel, i eat chex cereal. it's full of stuff we pirates need. no artificial flavors, and it's gluten-free. excelsior! eat up, me hearties! keep it down! i'm exploring the galaxy.

>> there is only one week left to sign up for health coverage this year through the affordable care act. the u.s. department of health & human services is trying to get

last year, an estimated 8 in 10 uninsured latinos qualified for medicaid and various other health-insurance options. new jersey is one of the four target states nationwide for boosting enrollment, and the latino community is a priority group. here with a little help this morning to educate us is dennis gonz*lez from the u.s. department of health & human services, danielle holahan from the new york state of health. welcome to you both. i hear -- i don't want to give the impression that latinos are not signing up. they are signing up, but you want more to sign up. so my question therefore is, why aren't they just busting down the door to get in there for something that is so beneficial? >> well, that's a good question. we have seen a progression in the right direction from the first open enrollment period two years ago to now. we have seen a decrease in the number of the uninsured from 42% to 30%.

>> so we're moving in the right direction. >> we certainly are. you know, one of the problems, joe -- you know this about our community -- is that we procrastinate. we leave things for the last moment. and also, we have some barriers, some cultural and language barriers, and there's also that suspicion among our community with government. >> understood. >> so we're working to address those issues, and i think we're doing a good job. >> what have you found to be the most effective strategy to knock obstacles? >> well, it's just to get the information out and to do it through community leaders, community organizations, people who the community trusts, individuals who the community feels comfortable with, which is why we've partnered with a lot of community organizations, advocacy groups, both in new jersey and new york, to get the information out. >> danielle, i would assume it's the same on the state level. >> absolutely right. yep. >> how do you go about reminding people that -- you know, educating them, if you will -- that this is beneficial, that it's in your best interest?

we're in hundreds of events across the state, trying to sponsor community events, be in the community, meet people where they are. i would say, as dennis said, that the way i think we really try to get involved with the hispanic and latino community is through trusted partners, partner organizations, and assistors. we have over 11,000 trained assistors in new york state. people want to meet in person with someone they know, someone they trust in the community. our assistors speak over 38 languages, so language is important. we try to put our materials out in 22 languages and just be in the community, convince people this is important. >> make it clear what's at stake. and you could take it from either perspective -- what you have to gain, or what you have to lose. walk me through it. walk me through the sales pitch. >> sure. so, i think, in new york, insurance used to be unaffordable and that was the number-one reason people weren't signing up. there are other reasons, as dennis walked through, but that has really changed in new york -- nationally and in new york. insurance-coverage premiums are more than 50% what they were before we opened, and we have

federal tax credits, to lower the cost, and we've launched a new plan in new york this year, the essential plan. premiums are either $20 a month or nothing -- comprehensive health-insurance benefits, very low-cost. really, we think this is a very big turning point in new york to convince people. >> i would assume you say the same things. do the eyes open up a little bit when you enlighten people that, you know, "here's what's at stake"? >> oh, absolutely. and to add to what danielle just said, if you don't have insurance and you get sick or you have an accident, you know, you're gonna end up in the emergency room, where the care isn't as great as you would like, and it's very expensive. and there's also the -- if you don't enroll, there's a penalty that you have to pay when you do your taxes. so there's a lot of incentives to enroll. >> one of the incentives to enroll because if you don't -- if you enrolled last year, you automatically enroll this year without any changes, but it's in your best interest to review each year what changes you may want to make?

during the open enrollment period is your chance to change plans. so if you want to reduce your cost, reduce your premium, you can look at all the various plans. in new jersey, there is 5 different plans with 38 different plans. so you can look at the plans to see if there's a plan that's cheaper. and perhaps, let's say, that your doctor is not in your current plan. >> that would be a typical reason why -- >> so this is another reason why you can change plans, yes. >> and time is of the essence, danielle, correct? because it's one week, and then enrollment closes for the rest of the year. >> january 31st is the end of the open enrollment season for this year. in new york, that's for the qualified health plans, the private health-insurance options. the public programs and our new essential plan, actually, you could enroll year-round, which is wonderful. but, yes, people don't always know what it is they're eligible for, so we encourage people to come and enroll by january 31st. >> we've got less than a minute left, and i don't want to lose the opportunity to direct people in the right direction, so i'm gonna put up the website. i think you have it in spanish,

if you go to the website, what will you find there? there it is -- cuidadodesalud.gov. 1-800-318-2596. very quickly -- you go to the website, will it walk you through the process? >> it will walk you through the process. it's very user-friendly. there's also a tab where you can find local assistance. so you can click on that, you put in your zip code, and it'll tell you where you can go in your community to find -- >> no matter what state you're in? >> no matter what state you're in. >> because danielle is here from new york, but obviously there's latinos and viewers in connecticut and new jersey, as well, who are watching. >> well, if you go to our website, cuidadodesalud, and you're from new york, it'll direct you to the new york website. >> perfect. >> and it will also direct you to the connecticut website. >> okay. january 31st. un placer. thank you guys very much for being here. >> thank you for having us. >> a free after-school program that teaches students basic journalism skills in the bronx, and the organizers are looking for students to join in.

>> listen up. there are only a few days left to take advantage of an after-school program in the bronx that teaches students how to be journalists. "bronx youth heard" is part of the norwood news, a bronx newspaper, and, at the end of each semester, they publish stories written by teenagers, for teenagers, about issues affecting their community. how great is that? joining us now to talk about the program -- david cruz, the program director, and arlenis pea, a former student. she's written, and we'll hear from her in a second. fabulous. this is great. when you guys pitched this to me and i saw it -- students, journalists -- i said, "that's in my wheelhouse. i want that." how long you been doing the program? >> i've been doing the program for two years. the program's been in existence for about nine years. >> okay, and give me the nutshell version of how it works. what are you teaching the kids here? >> "bronx youth heard" is a 12-week journalism program where we are teaching students how to

so we spend the 12 weeks learning news values, learning how to write, and, of course, perfecting their craft so that they can publish their stories within the norwood news. >> so budding journalists, right? >> budding journalists, definitely. >> and you walk them through how to write a lead, how to write a feature story, how to write a personality profile, how to write hard news? >> we certainly go through all those facets, but the first six weeks is dedicated to craft. and then, of course, we take that craft, and then, in the midpoint, we learn about the actual application of it. and so that's when they begin to actually write their news stories. and within that time frame, we are certainly teaching them these news values that we hope that they can carry on if they decide to become journalists. >> arlenis, you just came through the most recent class, correct? >> yes. >> all right. you wrote a story? >> yes, i did. >> it was in the paper. >> yes, it is. >> what was your story about? >> my story was mostly an opinion piece, and it was about how hard it is for immigrant students to go through from the

application and all that. >> and i want to get your thoughts when you saw your name in the paper attached to the opinion story that you wrote. what ran through your heart? >> well, [chuckles] it was really rewarding because, for me, writing it was really mostly out of frustration because i was going through the process, and i was -- i wanted to -- i know i'm not the only one going through this, and i think it was really good, since that people reading will feel the way i feel about it. >> sure. biggest thing that you learned out of this program was what? >> well, writing news is not easy. >> no, it isn't. >> and it's not. and especially for newspapers, we think, like, because it's writing and you have to go through a process and a pattern and pages in the story, and, you know, it's not easy, but i loved it. >> do you find that that's a hurdle you encoutner with many of the students, that, "whoa, this isn't easy"? >> right. [ laughter ] people don't realize that there is a structure to writing news,

any medium, as well. and when they learn that aspect, that there is a lead, that there is a nut graph, that there is backstory, a quote, a poll quote or a folk quote or what have you, people really -- they understand that it's not as -- it's a lot of sleight of hand. it's not as easy as it looks. and there is a perfection to it. >> it's a craft. >> it is certainly a craft. >> and it's something that needs to be worked on for you to get better. >> certainly. >> what is the greatest sense of appreciation that you get? have you had former students come back to you, say, "mira, david, what i learned in that class i'm still using to this day"? >> yes, i've had a lot of students who have come back. i've had one one intern over the past summer who came, and she became my intern, and she learned a lot. it wasn't a lot of hand-holding like i typically do with a lot of interns. she already knew it. and having that foundation certainly helps me when i'm actually editing the story. so it's not as though i have to go ahead and do a one-on-one with them, where i'm explaining, "well, your lead should've been here. this would've --" they already

and i have another "bronx youth heard" former student who had become a freelancer that i use now. >> what do you hope students get out of this class? >> well, one thing we want to tell everyone who's watching is that this is not necessarily for people who want to be journalists. this is something that's open to everyone, so there's a lot of transferable skills that everyone knows. you could learn how to be a good writer, you become a good listener, you become a good public speaker. and we tell them that you don't necessarily have to be a journalist to sort of take what you've learned and apply it to what you want to do for the rest of your life. >> sure. >> and we've had one lawyer -- or one student who wants to be a lawyer, and i told him, "this is probably a class that you certainly would take advantage of." >> because for law, you need to know how to write, as well. are you using what you learned in this class, arlenis, to carry you on to bigger and better things? if so, what? >> well, yes, i want to be a sports journalist, and i'm actually writing for a website

really cool, and it has helped me. >> this paved the way for you. >> yes, it does. >> okay. we're gonna put up the website and the phone number for more information, but this is reserved for high-school students in the bronx, correct? >> correct. >> okay, so there's the information. that's the phone number. you supply a written application? >> right. when you go to the website, norwoodnews.org, you'll see a tab where it says "youth journalism." and you'll click to go to the online application. fill it out, and it'll certainly walk you through it. >> budding journalist right there before you. good to see you guys. continued success. you know, sports journalist -- i want to be reading your stuff later on, okay? >> i hope you do. >> thank you so much for joining us this morning. we hope that you learned something at home. and check this out. if you missed any part of our show, all is not lost. you can watch it at abc7ny on the web, on your tablet, or even on your smartphone. i'm joe torres. thank you for watching. we will see you next time on