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CALIFORNIA

‘Did our son really have to die?’

Distraught parents of man who hanged himself at a San Clemente Rose and Allen
Nelson have a
mental health facility want answers to how things were handled display at the
entryway of their
First of two parts error message, he scoured the erboard back in the computer, Santa Monica
internet until he found a solu- the error message was gone. It home of son
tion: put the motherboard in worked.” Brandon Nelson,
By Teri Sforza who committed
tsforza@scng.com
the oven for 20 minutes. Nelson had a gift for that
“I said, ‘That’s crazy. It’ll kind of thing, his parents said. suicide at age 26.
Brandon Nelson loved to never work,’” said Nelson’s fa- He taught himself computer MINDY SCHAUER
STAFF
fix things. When his mother’s ther, Allen Nelson. “But he did programming, was an out- PHOTOGRAPHER
computer froze up with a weird it. And when he put that moth- NELSON » PAGE 12

IMMIGRATION CALIFORNIA

CARAVAN BABIES CAN Old power

CALL MEXICO HOME plants on
Newborns could provide Central American parents a shortcut to citizenship

coast get
upgrades
Despite fewer emissions and no
ocean impacts, do new units still
fit with a renewable energy future?
By Martin Wisckol
mwisckol@scng.com
@MartinWisckol on Twitter

Up and down the California coast, aging power

Three families from the Central American migrant caravan leave their troubles behind Monday at a baby shower at All
Nations Church in Tijuana. Erly Marsial, right, gave birth Nov. 13 in Mexico while en route from Honduras.
By Roxana Kopetman
rkopetman@scng.com
@roxanakopetman on Twitter
The “It’s a boy” sign, along with the
white, frosted cake, the presents and
the colored balloons all hinted at the
same thing — a baby shower.
And, soon enough last Monday,
Christian pastors were surrounding a
newborn, a boy wrapped in a blanket
and his mother’s embrace, and placing
their hands on both parents’ shoulders.
Then, together, in a Tijuana church,
they all prayed for one of the young-
est members of the Central American
caravan.
Baby Alvin was born Nov. 13 in Mex-
ico City. His Honduran parents were
on the move at the time, part of the
group of migrants trying to get to the
U.S.-Mexico border, but Alvin’s arrival
prompted the pit stop.
CARAVAN » PAGE 9
plants are being replaced by sleeker, more effi-
cient and more environmentally sensitive units
or are being shut down altogether.
In Los Angeles and Orange County alone, there
are seven natural gas-fired coastal plants, with
work underway or completed on six and the sev-
enth scheduled for closure. The construction —
with cranes towering more than 15 stories — of-
fers a dramatic scene to the many passers-by.
Critics argue that despite reduced emissions
and technology that eliminates ocean impacts,
the new units are being made obsolete by renew-
able energy.
Nonetheless, the changes are occurring with
relatively little controversy for large-scale indus-
trial projects on prime real estate.
PHOTOS BY MINDY SCHAUER — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Unlike other big seaside projects, such as the
desalination plants proposed for Huntington
Beach and El Segundo, neighbors have offered
only passing opposition to the massive power-
plant upgrades.
“My sense is that the majority of people moved
into the areas after the plants were already there,
and they’ve grown accustomed to them,” said
Joe Geever, a former Surfrider lobbyist who’s
PLANTS » PAGE 15
PAUL BERSEBACH — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Construction is underway on the new portion,
right, of the AES Huntington Beach natural gas
Erly Marsial and Alvin Reyes’ 7-week-old son, Alvin, was born in Mexico City. power plant off Magnolia Street.
His status as a citizen gives his parents a shot at Mexican citizenship as well.

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12 |  NEWS | THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER >> OCREGISTER.COM
A SUNDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2018

PHOTOS BY MINDY SCHAUER — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Hundreds of migrants take shelter at El Barretal in Tijuana. The inside features three stories of space with no running water. Families with children sleep in the most coveted areas.

Caravan
FROM PAGE 1

While President Donald

Trump, many Americans —
and some Mexicans — ada-
mantly want to see the mi-
grants go home, Hernan-
dez and others in Southern
California are offering help
that allows them to stay.
They come regularly, bring-
ing clothing, toiletries, cash
— even tools to create art.
Some give free legal advice.
And they often provide
something that can’t be
bought — hope.
“I’m A merican-born,
first generation. My mom
came in a caravan a long
time ago. I did really well,”
said Hernandez, who owns
a commercial production
company in Los Angeles.
“So now it’s our turn to
share and give back,” he
said. “We’re all chasing the
American dream.”
The helpers generally
see migration as a human
right and say the migrant
encampments in Mexico
are a humanitarian crisis,
but they don’t all share the
same motivation.
Some see the caravan
through a religious lens, Johnny Hernandez and Resa Cole of Los Angeles hand out jump-ropes and toys to migrant children at El Barretal shelter in Tijuana on Dec. 5.
and mention Bible verses
that speak of “welcoming they’d purchased at nearby
the stranger.” Others note stores.
that seeking asylum in the And when an Orange
United States remains le- County activist showed up
gal, even if the current ad- with beads and art supplies
ministration has made the and large blank banners
asylum process difficult and and a cache of markers,
suggests the people seeking they were surrounded by
it are criminals. children and adults alike.
Still others stay away For hours, many in the
from religion or politics camp seemed immersed in
altogether, saying instead art.
that helping the migrants is “I haven’t painted since
simply the right thing to do. I was a child,” said a smil-
“I’m not talking politics,” ing Ramon Avila, 38, a fish-
Hernandez said. erman from Amapale Valle,
“Whether you’re pro- Honduras.
tecting a border or not, you “This is a great distrac-
can’t turn your back on peo- tion,” Avila added. “Being
ple in need.” stuck here all day, one can
feel desperate. But I’m going
‘Spiritual help’ to take a pencil and paint.”
Churchgoers say helping Avila said he’d reached this
caravan migrants is an op- place after traveling more
portunity to serve. than 3,000 miles — much
“We’re here to pray with, of it on foot — with a teen-
or for, them, and to listen to age son and other relatives.
them,” said Panorama City As some children and
resident Argel Chay, 49, a adults painted, and others
member of Iglesia Fuente turned threads and beads
de Vida, a church in Holly- into bracelets and neck-
wood. laces, volunteers painted
He was in Tijuana with some of the smallest faces.
parishioners from different As evening approached,
Southern California congre- many began dancing while
gations visiting with fami- a few took turns with the
lies who found shelter in a Workers with UNICEF, World Vision and La Jugarreta gather information about the welfare of children staying at El mic to belt out songs.
church. Barretal shelter in Tijuana earlier this month. The people who brought
“They need a lot of spiri- the supplies say the art isn’t
tual help.” tainment complex that now and government officials ders. coughing were pervasive. all about fun.
The number of migrants looks like a makeshift ref- urged the group to move to And as they walked delib- “We know that creativity
at the border changes ugee camp, home to about El Barretal. El Barretal erately between mattresses is grounding,” said Monica
nearly daily, and it’s un- 2,500 people. Other mi- Meanwhile, about 1,110 At El Barretal, comfort is and tents, the volunteers Curca, founder of the non-
clear exactly how many are grants — nobody can say for migrants from the caravans not easy to find. and aid workers checking profit Activate Labs. “(It)
still waiting to cross. Last sure how many — have been may have continued into Families with children on the health of the mi- opens people to find solu-
month, about 6,000 mi- taken in by area churches. the United States — some sleep in the most coveted grants wore disposable face tions and build commu-
grants, mostly Hondurans, And a few hundred remain by climbing over or between area, where it’s darker and masks. nity.”
arrived in Tijuana, while in the encampment closest border fences — while about space is tight but a roof In the midst of this were Curca said she offered
another 1,200 stopped in to the border, at a sports 1,000 others have returned provides some shelter from many signs of normalcy. similar help to migrants in
Mexicali, Baja’s capital, ac- complex named after for- home, Mexican officials rain. Single men are left to Children ran and laughed April, when an earlier cara-
cording to Mexican offi- mer President Benito Juarez told media. U.S. Customs sleep in an open area out- and played soccer. The en- van arrived in Tijuana from
cials. — a site that originally and Border Patrol officials side. Most, not all, have trepreneurially inclined set Central America.
The site currently hous- housed some 5,000 mi- could not confirm Friday tents. up shops atop cardboard “We started it to bring
ing the most migrants is grants until a storm turned how many of the caravan During a recent visit, boxes, selling things like hope and joy and build
El Barretal, once an enter- the place into a muddy mess members have crossed bor- the sounds of sneezing and cigarettes and lollipops that CARAVAN » PAGE 13
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2018 THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER >> OCREGISTER.COM | NEWS   | 13 A

PHOTOS BY MINDY SCHAUER — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Volunteers hand out children’s clothing at El Barretal shelter in Tijuana on Dec. 4. Clothes, toiletries and even legal advice are being given to the Central American migrants.

Caravan
FROM PAGE 12
resilience,” Curca said later.
Through music, art and
dance, Curca said, the mi-
grants can experience “joy
and hope” and “reclaim
a bit of what was lost for
them in the journey.”
Honduran Ronal Rellana,
36, decorated a banner with
his wife. Their art included
a message, in Spanish, that
read: “Peace for this world.”
Rellana said he’s thank-
ful for the art break, and for
the food, clothes and other
help his family has received
in Mexico.
“It’s nice what everyone
is doing for us,” said Rel-
lana.
He said his belief in God
leads him to believe he and
his family will be allowed
into the United States.
Legal advice
Along with the immi-
grant-rights activists and
artists and others offering
help, there’s another group
— lawyers.
Some are connected with
World Relief, an interna-
tional agency that partners
with churches and is one of
several organizations mak-
ing monthly trips to help
the caravan migrants.
The lawyers talk with
the migrants and explain
the U.S. asylum process.
They also go over details,
like what types of questions
American immigration offi-
cials will ask.
“Some people would say
‘You’re counseling them on
what to say.’ No. We’re not.
We are providing a holistic
assessment of their asylum
application … to determine
whether their case is strong
or not,” said Jose Serrano,
World Relief senior immi-
gration legal services spe-
cialist in the Southern Cal-
ifornia office.
“ We don’t indic ate
whether they should or
shouldn’t apply,” Serrano
said. “We indicate whether
they have a case.”
Serrano generally visits
a plaza called El Chaparral,
near a pedestrian bridge by
the San Ysidro port of en-
try. Migrants often begin to
gather there before the sun
rises. He gives what he calls
a “mini-charla,” a short talk
about the asylum process.
Then he invites his audi-
ence to speak with him or
his colleagues, either at the
plaza or, later, in interviews
at the free clinics.
“We want to make sure
families have the tools to
self-advocate,” Serrano
said.
‘Muchos pesos’
As in the United States,
where the caravan can be
a political flashpoint, the
reaction to the migrants
within Tijuana is mixed.
Some Mexicans have
protested the newcomers.
And the city’s mayor, Juan
Manuel Gastélum, has said
the migrants are placing a
great burden on the city.
On the streets, many
view the migrants with a
combination of sympathy
and wariness.
“It’s a knife with a double
edge,” said taxi driver Jesus
Baez. “We have to help them
because it’s the humanitar-
ian thing to do, and they are
our brothers. But there are
so many of them.”
“And, they are hurting
tourism? said Baez, who
has been driving a cab in
Eric Javier Mejia of Los Angeles takes a picture with 8-year-old Ruth from Honduras
outside El Barretal shelter in Tijuana. He and friends donate goods to the migrants.
the bag was full of Mexican
pesos. When asked how
much, Baez could say only
that it was “muchos pesos.”
After he dropped off the
couple at a migrant camp,
Baez thought: “If they’re go-
ing to give away money, give
me some also.”
But plenty of locals also
want to help.
Last week, volunteers
from a Tijuana church
passed out hot oatmeal
Men show off their battered shoes after walking from and coffee, and took down
Central America to Tijuana, Mexico. Volunteers from a local names and shoe sizes for
church had limited supplies to hand out, and people begged 200 people. Among the mi-
to be put on a list for the next disbursement at the El grants — who walked much
Barretal shelter on Dec. 3. Some, desperate for footwear, or all of the 3,000 miles
asked visitors for theirs. from Central America —
new sneakers are in great
Tijuana for 50 years. “If so, Baez said he recently demand.
what’s going to happen to picked up an American Other Tijuana residents
us? Are they going to come couple holding a bag. As he just show up with bags full
and destroy our city? drove them, he learned that of clothes.
“My mother is Hondu-
ran,” said Denisse Carillo,
who came to the El Barre-
tal camp on her lunch hour
to pass out clothes. “I un-
derstand the situation.”
Hernandez, the Los An-
geles resident who crossed
the border repeatedly to
make donations, feels a
similar connection and a
responsibility to help out.
“Things would have been
much different if I had been
born on this side,” said Her-
nandez, referring to Mex-
ico.
Hernandez and friends
Eric Javier Mejia and Resa
Cole stopped by twice on a
recent Tuesday to drop off
items at El Barretal.
Usua lly, Her na ndez
checks in with some of the
migrants to see what they
need and then makes the
purchases in Tijuana to
avoid customs restrictions
while crossing the border.
He and other friends have
distributed ever y thing
from thousands of dollars’
worth of diapers and hy-
giene products to 150 tents
to three solar-powered gen-
erators. The generators are
now used in the camp’s
phone center and at a med-
ical relief trailer.
They prefer to drop off
the items in a big ware-
house at the entrance of El
Barretal that is monitored
by authorities, who later
handle distribution. But on
this day, the friends drove
straight in to the camp and
directly passed out jump
ropes, coloring books and
balls. Then, they stuck
around and played with
the kids.
Hernandez has visited El
Barretal more than a dozen
times. He’s going back next
week.

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SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2018 THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER >> OCREGISTER.COM
Caravan
FROM PAGE 1
Their original goal was
to deliver an American
child.
“I thought I would have
my baby over there,” said
Alvin’s mother, Erly Mar-
sial, referring to the United
States.
Instead, Alvin is Mexi-
can. Like the United States,
Canada, and most other
countries in the Americas,
Mexico grants automatic
citizenship to people born
on its soil.
But Mexican law goes a
step further.
Because Alvin was born
in Mexico, his Honduran
parents can apply for Mex-
ican residency. And, if they
follow all the rules and
meet all the requirements,
they also can become Mex-
ican citizens.
For now, they’re part of
the group of migrants, most
from Honduras, who in re-
cent weeks have made their
way to Tijuana in hopes of
crossing the Mexico-U.S.
border. So far, only a few
have been allowed over.
Though migration to
the United States has de-
creased (especially from
Mexico), the caravan has
been met with fear and an-
ger from some Americans.
Some Tijuana residents
also call it an invasion.
But for migrants, Mex-
ico isn’t always only a path
to the United States. The
country has its own long
history of receiving immi-
grants.
And within the large car-
avan — an estimated 6,500
people in all — it’s unclear
how many are pregnant
women.
The laws
For most of the caravan
migrants, the end game
is to get into the United
States. But the reality is
that most, for now, are in
Mexico. And Mexican im-
migration law offers op-
tions, including the right to
apply for refuge or a visa on
humanitarian grounds.
Mexico’s new president,
Andrés Manuel López Ob-
rador, said his govern-
ment will grant the Cen-
tral Americans temporary
Climate alarm
Those attending a
U.N. climate-change
summit in Poland
were warned that today’s
generation is the last that can
prevent catastrophic global
warming by eliminating
greenhouse gas emissions.
Famed British naturalist and
broadcaster Sir David
Attenborough, who attended
the gathering, gave the dire
warning: “If we don’t take
action, the collapse of our
civilizations and the extinction
of much of the natural world is
on the horizon.” The summit
convened as scientists
announced that the past four
years have been the hottest
on record, and that the
planet’s average temperature
is on track to rise between 3
and 5 degrees Fahrenheit by
the end of the century. A new
report released in conjunction
with the summit said that
instead of falling around the
world as agreed to by world
governments, global carbon
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work permits while their
residency claims are being
processed.
He also promised to
work with his counterparts
and companies in Central
American countries for in-
vestments that would ad-
dress some of the issues
— including rampant vio-
lence and economic ineq-
uity — that are prompting
people to walk out of their
home countries with little
more than the clothes on
their backs.
So far, some 2,000 mi-
grants have requested Mex-
ican humanitarian visas,
said Manuel Marin, an of-
ficial with the Mexican im-
migration agency. Of re-
quests processed, most
have been granted, Marin
added.
Meanwhile, other num-
bers show some in the car-
avan have found a destina-
tion, at least for now. As of
Nov. 12, some 3,230 people
have applied for refuge in
Mexico, and 2,697 of those
requests are being pro-
cessed, according to Mexi-
can officials. Also, 533 peo-
ple who were once in the
caravan have decided to re-
turn home.
For many, refuge will
mean only a temporary
stay until it’s safe to return
home, said Deputy Consul
Hugo Rene Oliva from the
Mexican Consulate in San
Bernardino.
It’s not the first time a
large number of outsiders
have crossed into Mexico.
During the four-decade
dictatorship of Francisco
Franco, which ended in
1975, many Spaniards came
to Mexico and stayed. And
in the early 1980s, an es-
timated 60,000 Guatema-
lans — also fleeing violence
and oppression — migrated
north.
“Mexico has always char-
acterized itself as being a
country that is very hospi-
table and has offered asy-
lum and refuge to (a) great
many nationals from other
countries,” Oliva said.
President Donald Trump
wants Mexico to house mi-
grants who apply for asy-
lum in the United States
while their petitions play
out, a process that can take
years.
It’s unclear how many
Central Americans from
EARTHWEEK: A DIARY OF THE PLANET
emissions will jump 2.7
percent to a record high by the
end of 2018, mainly due to
booming industrial output.
Bovine outlook
Canadian researchers
say they have found
that dairy cows can
be either optimistic or
pessimistic from an early age,
cope with stress. A study by
the University of British
Columbia says this has
implications for how human
dispositions are related to
outcomes in life and mental
health. The scientists
pessimistic, optimistic or
sociable, and how each type
reacted to stressful situations
like being transported. Their
reactions were determined by
measuring eye temperatures
of the animals, which are
elevated by stress. The calves
characterized as pessimistic
were more vocal and had
higher eye temperatures under
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Erly Marsial, an immigrant from Honduras, is surprised by a baby shower for 7-week-old
Alvin in Tijuana on Monday. Monica Curca with Activate Labs, an Orange County nonprofit,
organized the party. “We don’t know what the future holds, but we know how to do baby
showers,” Curca said. Cesar Mejia Miranda, left, and his wife, Maria Reyes Marcado, are
also Honduran immigrants who are trying to make their way to the United States.
this year’s caravan have
been sent home by Mexican
authorities. About 100 were
deported after a Nov. 25 me-
lee when some migrants at-
tempted to breach the U.S.
border, according to press
reports.
For the parents of Alvin
and other newborn Mexi-
cans, there is another op-
tion.
The Mexican law that al-
lows foreigners with Mexi-
can-born children to obtain
permanent residency dates
back to 1928, according to
the deputy consul in San
Bernardino. That law also
permits those parents to
stress.
Tropical cyclone
Tropical Storm Owen
between the Solomon
Islands and northeastern
Australia.
Mysterious waves
Twenty minutes of
tiny vibrations
Madagascar’s west coast
were clocked at about 9,000
mph as they rushed around
the world Nov. 11. But the
seismic ripples were of such a
low frequency that they
weren’t felt even near the
source, and they didn’t trigger
any alerts in the worldwide
earthquake detection
systems. The vibrations took
about 40 minutes to reach
Britain and an hour and 15
minutes to reach sensors in
Hawaii. The leading theory is
that the mysterious rumblings
were caused by magma
draining from a volcanic
MAP CHART INFOGRAPHIC
License #316265
PHOTOS BY MINDY SCHAUER — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
seek citizenship after two
years, provided they can
speak Spanish and pass a
test about Mexican history
and culture.
Baby Alvin’s parents —
Marsial and her husband,
Alvin Reyes — qualify un-
der Mexican law to be fu-
ture citizens.
Lucky breaks
After traveling on foot
and going hungry, the cou-
ple and their three chil-
dren, including newborn
Alvin, got lucky. They were
picked up in Mexico City
by Monica Curca, an Or-
ange County activist who
Week ending Dec. 7
chamber about 10 miles
beneath the seabed.
Eruption ends?
Hawaii’s Kilauea
volcano may have
reached the end of
an eruption that has gone
on almost continually for
35 years. The record-long
eruption was punctuated
devastated neighborhoods
and roads. But no lava has
emerged for the past three
months — the longest
pause since the eruption
began in 1983. While Hawaii’s
Kilauea volcano is still
emitting vapor, some
geologists think its 35-year
eruption may have ended.
Carbon eaters
Scientists from the
University of Texas at
Austin say they have
discovered dozens of new
species of exotic bacteria in
extremely hot deep-sea ocean
sediment that appear to have
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1.45%
Shannon Chang
with Activate
Labs gets a
kiss from Maria
Reyes, 6, from
Honduras on
Monday in
Tijuana. Maria
is part of a
migrant caravan
from Central
America headed
to the United
States. Babies
born in Mexico
of caravan
mothers offer
their parents
a chance
to become
Mexican
citizens.
brought them and two other
families by bus to a church
in Tijuana.
While thousands of the
caravan travelers are liv-
ing in makeshift dwellings
that resemble refugee en-
campments, the Reyes and
the two other families are
housed at the Iglesia de
Todas Las Naciones in Ti-
juana.
They sleep in bunk beds.
They get medical care. They
eat.
Curca, founder of the
nonprofit Activate Labs,
which works to build com-
munities, was in Mexico
City last month with other
Downs, Australia
the ability to consume
hydrocarbons such as
methane and butane to
survive and thrive. Writing in
the journal Nature Communi-
cations, the researchers say
the microbes might be
harnessed to curb the
concentrations of some
greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere, and someday
even help clean up oil spills.
The bacteria, found in the
Guaymas Basin of the Gulf of
California, are so genetically
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activists hoping to help peo-
ple in the caravan when she
was asked to accompany
the three families that had
been left behind because of
the baby’s birth.
“From Mexico City to
Mazatlan, it was scary,”
Curca said.
She noted that people re-
peatedly stopped them and,
under color of authority, ha-
rassed and threatened to
extort them.
At one point, Curca said,
Alvin Reyes was asked to
pay 500 pesos so that his
family could continue on
the journey. Instead, he
brought out baby Alvin’s
birth certificate and asked:
“You’re going to ask
(money from) the parents
of a Mexican?”
The question didn’t al-
ways evoke sympathy. Ti-
juana residents are divided
on how they feel about the
caravan’s migrants.
“These families are like
the walking damned,”
C urc a sa id. “ T hey ’re
damned if they stay, they’re
damned if they go home.
“We just want to help
them.”
After they arrived in
Tijuana, Curca stayed in
touch with the Reyeses and
the other families, even af-
ter she returned home to
Orange County. Last week-
end, she went back. And on
Monday, she organized the
surprise baby shower.
They played games and
laughed, had a hearty
lunch with plenty of sec-
onds. They celebrated the
life of baby Alvin. The Reye-
ses and all the families were
grateful for the distraction.
Some said they had spent
very little time planning the
trip, choosing instead to
jump into the caravan as
soon as they heard of it.
“This trip was considered
for less than 24 hours,” said
Reyes, 39, who fixes shoes
for a living but was finding
little work in Honduras.
Now, in the church-
turned-shelter, they have
time to think about what
might be next.
They might already be
home.
“We wanted to go to the
United States. We wanted
our son to be born in the
United States,” Reyes said.
“But God had a different
plan.”
-57o
Toko, Siberia
+110o
Victoria River
species that they represent
new branches in Earth’s tree
of life.
Dist. by: Andrews McMeel Syndication
©MMXVIII Earth Environment Service
Contact author@earthweek.com
©2014 Earth Environment Service
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