Cervantes, who works with the We Are America Coalition to bring awareness about the issues affecting many undocumented immigrants in the country, often worries about friends and relatives who might be deported.  "There is a large portion of Latino community members who have a relative or know someone who's undocumented," she said.

Several weeks ago, Immigration Customs Enforcement officials arrested over 1,000 undocumented immigrants in California during a three-week period - resulting in one of the largest deportation raids in U.S. history.

In Los Angeles alone, over 400 undocumented immigrants were arrested based on their illegal status in the country - many of which had outstanding deportation orders and prior criminal records. 

Immigration authorities defend their actions on grounds of national security and community safety as many of those arrested had a history of criminal activity. 

Although Cervantes understands that immigration federal agents have a job to perform, she disagrees with the deportation procedures that have been taking place in both commercial and residential areas across the country.

"There are raids going on all over, but it is very unfortunate the way it's being done because it is affecting entire families," said Cervantes.  Cervantes, who is an undocumented immigrant in the process of legalization, strongly believes the raids are being conducted in an inhumane manner.  "The raids are inhumane and need to be approached in a more humane way." 

She recalls when federal agents arrived in her neighborhood in the early morning and arrested her neighbor because of his illegal status.  She says he was eventually deported, but his wife - who is also undocumented - was not arrested as to care for their U.S. born child.  "Families are being split up as a result of these inhumane raids...and the procedure [of the raids] need to be reanalyzed," she said.

Although deportation raids have increased in recent months, Cervantes feels there has been little attention given to the issue of immigration reform.  "It's an election year and the issue of immigration has been put on the back-burner.  Both [presidential] candidates [have] failed to discuss immigration reform, choosing to focus on the economy."  

Despite the candidates' emphasis on economic issues, Cervantes sees a clear relationship between the two.  "Immigration is a polarizing issue and many politicians don't want to touch it in an election year.  What people don't understand is that immigration and the economy are interconnected," she said.  

Matias Ramos, a Public Allies Fellow at the UCLA Labor Center and undocumented immigrant residing in Orange County, believes the economy is hurting as a result of the immigration raids.  

"Businesses are dependent on immigration labor, and immigrants strengthen the economy by consuming from those same businesses. This demonstrates how citizens and employers are building communities together, despite their immigration status," Ramos said.

As the co-chair of IDEAS at UCLA, an immigration rights advocacy group on campus, Ramos interprets the raids as nothing more than 'terror tactics.'  "People are losing their civil rights with these raids as [undocumented] workers are part of the American labor force but are treated unfairly."

Congresswoman Linda Sanchez (D-CA), who sits on the subcommittee of Immigration, Citizenship, and Border Security, has also been an advocate for immigration reform at the federal level.

As a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Sanchez has supported comprehensive immigration bills that seek to provide a pathway to citizenship to many undocumented workers.  The bills have failed due to the lack of bipartisan support from Republicans, many of whom view the issue as granting amnesty to those who are in the country illegally.

Despite the unsuccessful attempts to pass legislative reforms on immigration, Sanchez wants the deportation raids to end.  "No one wins in these raids.  They hurt the companies, the communities, the families of the workers and workers themselves," she said.

The Congresswoman is urging for new laws that are more effective than the current one's, which allow the raids to continue.  "These raids really show us how our immigration laws don't make any sense and these enforcement-only strategies do not work."

Cervantes, who considers Congresswoman Sanchez an ally to immigration reform, is hopeful a comprehensive bill will pass with enough bipartisan support in the next administration.  "It is feasible to see something happen within the next two years that will prioritize the humane treatment of undocumented workers."

The historic and long-winded presidential election finally came to an end Tuesday night with yet another historic moment - the election of Barack Obama as the nation's first African-American president.

Throughout the day voters went to the polls primarily to cast their ballot for president, but there were other key issues on the ballot that concerned many Californians.  From allowing gays to keep their rights, to giving rights to chickens, the propositions in this year's ballot seemed to deal with every issue.  However, the one thing that brought the nation together - and to a standstill - was the election of our 44^th president, something that only happens every four years.

From waiting in long voting lines, to waiting to hear the results, to finally celebrating when the next president of the U.S. was declared, the anticipation and excitement was palpable throughout the city of Los Angeles.  Below is a snippet of what I witnessed on Election Day in the Montebello, USC, and West Los Angeles communities.

Animal cruelty is still a common practice in many industries, and the agriculture sector is no different.  State laws already prohibit cruelty to animals, especially to those we traditionally keep as pets, protecting them and other animals against brutal treatment.  But is giving a right to a chicken stepping over the boundary of rationality?

Well, proposition 2 is coming in the defense of chickens and other livestock raised for commercial purposes, many of which face cruel conditions prior to being killed for human consumption.

The ballot measure known as the California Prevention of Farm Animals Cruelty Act will engender safety and humane standards for confining farm animals if approved by California voters in the November 4^th general election.  

According to the official California voter guide, the initiative statute would prohibit "confinement of farm animals in a manner that does not allow them to turn around freely, lie down, stand up, or fully extend their limbs."

If you have paid any attention to the TV ads for the Yes on 2 campaign, you might not only be disturbed by the grotesque images of confined farm animals but also enraged from the abuse and mistreatment that is inflicted upon these innocent creatures.Proponents defend the measure, saying it prevents cruelty to animals and improves people's health and food safety with these safeguards.

There has not been much resistance to the measure, aside from critics who have raised the fiscal effect of the issue.  The measure would require "more space and/or alternate methods for housing pregnant pigs, calves raised for veal, and egg-laying hens," increasing production and maintenance costs for agriculture farmers.  The fiscal analysis is yet to be determined, but the cost can be in the "range of several million dollars annually," according to the state voter guide.

Those against the measure say the state is not in an economic position to apply standards that might place a financial burden on farmers - eventually raising the cost of dairy products for consumers.

Yet, the financial load on the agriculture sector would be felt years from now, as - if approved - the statute would not become operative until January of 2015.  Hence, farmers would have until 2015 to implement the new space requirements for their animals, giving them ample time to adhere to the regulations set out by the statute.

Also, opponents say that raising farm animals, such as hens in the cage-free outdoors, will increase salmonella risk to humans, jeopardizing the public's health.  In other words, the safety of the food from such animals would be tainted if the proposition passes.

The fact is animals packed in cages are more likely to be contaminated with Salmonella and other viruses than those in cage-free facilities.

Despite the possible increase in price of such dairy products as a result of Prop 2, safety and humane standards should be a priority for any voter this election year.  This proposition is more than just giving rights to animals, it is meant to improve the public's health and safeguard our environment. 

The third and final presidential debate between Senators John McCain and Barack Obama has ended with a clear victor in mind.  It can be confidently said that the winner of this last debate was neither Obama nor McCain, but...'Joe the Plumber' - who may symbolize everything that is wrong with this economy.

The figure known as 'Joe the Plumber' of Ohio, who's name is Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, gained instant fame when he was mentioned in an exchange between both candidates at the debate to symbolize the plight of the middle class in today's bleak economic crisis.  

(AP Photo/Madalyn Ruggiero)

Although 'Joe the Plumber' was brought up in the last debate to represent the economic woes felt by most Americans, the economy took center stage in all three presidential debates, leaving out key subjects that will undoubtedly have a significant impact in the next presidential administration.  However, it is not the campaigns that are to blame for the inadequate coverage of issues other than the economy.  The media is also at fault for failing to focus as much attention on other issues throughout the course of all three debates. 

During the presidential campaign, the economy seems to be the only issue that matters to voters - or at least that is how both the media and politicians have portrayed it to be.  While Senators John McCain and Barack Obama have failed to highlight immigration in their quest for the White House, the mainstream media regrettably has done the same.

The moderators of the presidential debates hammered the candidates on their economic plans to rescue the financial mess, yet at times their questions went unanswered.  Surprisingly enough, immigration was never brought up in all three debates. 

The economy, albeit one of the most important issues that Americans are coping with, is not the only issue in voters' minds.  The media's insignificant portrayal of immigration goes beyond that issue alone.  Simply put, issues other than immigration, such as education, health care, and the war in Iraq have been put in the backburner in this race for the White House.

Senators McCain and Obama have clear differences on the issue of immigration reform, but they have not expressed them in great detail on the national stage - opting to emphasize what they would do to alleviate the worst economic situation since the Great Depression. 

In a CNN opinion research poll, a majority of those surveyed thought the most concerning issue was the economy.  However, CNN misinterpreted the findings to think that the issue is the number one, and only issue that matters to voters.  Whenever the cable news channel covers a topic associated with the economy, they label it as "issue # 1" on the T.V. screen.  What CNN and other news organizations are doing with such labels is simplifying the issues into categories.  The issues that matter to voters, however, are more than one-dimensional and should not be ranked by media outlets in such a way.

Immigration - one of the most controversial issues in our country's political discourse - has remained inconspicuous in this years' presidential election.

Several weeks ago, Immigration Customs Enforcement officials arrested over 1,000 undocumented immigrants in California during a three-week period - resulting in one of the largest deportation raids in U.S. history.  In Los Angeles alone, over 400 undocumented immigrants were arrested based on their illegal status in the country - many of which had outstanding deportation orders and prior criminal records.

Unfortunately, neither presidential candidate came out to speak on the deportation raids that are being conducted inhumanly and are breaking up thousands of families throughout the country - and the media has let them slip by the issue.

It is time for journalists to ask the tough questions, not just on the economy, but also on the plethora of issues that are affecting this country of ours.  Debate moderators, like Bob Schieffer, should have done their job and been more critical of the candidates in their debates, as opposed to let them pass by their questions unanswered without any penalty.

The mainstream media needs to cover issues in a comprehensive manner in order to uphold their professional standards of civic duty while informing voters on the issues that they will be most affected by in the next four years.  'Joe the Plumber' is just one of the MANY concerns that soon-to-be president McCain or Obama will have to deal with in their administration.

It seems like the first presidential debate came and went in a news-flash as journalists and politicos were already setting their eyes on the vice presidential debate between Sen. Joe Biden and Gov. Sarah Palin at the conclusion of the McCain/Obama battle.

Despite this lack of flamboyant entertainment, the debate went on with much needed substance.  Obama and McCain went into specifics on how they would lead America through the global financial/political crisis that they will inherit from President Bush.

McCain, however, did start of a bit too vague with his answers on the economy but ended strong on the issues involving forieng policy.  Obama, on the other hand, flexed his intellectual wit on all things pertaining to the economy. 

Although no candidate came out swinging anything off the ballpark, Obama might have had an edge with his witty remarks against McCain.  Obama's "orgy of spending" remark to describe the not-so 'Miss Congeniality' - or fiscally conservative McCain - drew much needed humor.  

According to CNN's national poll of polls, a majority of people who watched the debate felt "Obama came out on top."  Fifty-one percent of those surveyed thought the win went to Obama, while 38% of viewers felt McCain did a better job.  The same survey also showed that respondents thought both McCain and Obama exceeded viewers expectations, further dismantling a notion of a clear winner.

The fact is that there was no clear winner and both campaigns should be pleased that neither candidate made any major gaffe.  This inconclusive debate should only make the others more interesting, as journalists and politicos alike tune-in to see what changes the candidates will make to improve their debating performance as they try to win over the American people.

And I've learned quickly, these past few days, that if you're not a member in good standing of the Washington elite, then some in the media consider a candidate unqualified for that reason alone. But here's a little news flash for all those reporters and commentators: I'm not going to Washington to seek their good opinion -- I'm going to Washington to serve the people of this country. Americans expect us to go to Washington for the right reasons, and not just to mingle with the right people.