Patricio G. Espinoza, Investigative Reporter/Anchor 
Winner Outstanding Specialty Assignment Report
Lone Star Emmy's - 2004
Elections Immigrant Workers without pay > 
PART-1
It was an everyday morning in the Univision newsroom in Houston, Texas. November was elections month, and most efforts were focused on election coverage. 
So when dozens of phone calls started coming into the news desk from viewers, most of them immigrant workers, who claimed to have been hired by a Hispanic mayoral candidate who, they said, had failed to pay them, I was assigned to the story.
As we arrived to the location, there were at least 50 concerned workers who claimed had been waiting since 6:00 a.m. to be picked up by Houston’s Mayoral candidate Orlando Sanchez’s campaign people. Their "ride", they claimed, never showed up.
All workers were Hispanic, most did not speak English, many said, they had left their children at home to come and support “their Hispanic candidate,” most admitted to be undocumented immigrants, they say they couldn't vote but wanted to support a Hispanic candidate because "one day our children may vote”. The workers also pointed out that "a man working for Sanchez" had promised them $100 and at least 2 meals a day to help promoting the candidate.
Other news crews present, but unable to communicate in Spanish, seemed to dismiss the story and left. Eventually our questioning of the workers led us to identity the Sanchez operative, labeled later as a hired political consultant, who had promised to hire the workers. Later that same morning those workers had organized and told us they were on their way to Sanchez campaign headquarters where they had plans to demand for their wages and meals.
Our camera follows them when at Sanchez's offices the workers are welcomed at first -as "Hispanic supporters- but the minute the wages issue comes up security and Houston police is called to the scene to remove the workers. This while the Sanchez campaign would give us conflicting stories of who hired who and why. At one point a campaign official questioned our "timing", and, on camera, accuses the opposition of organizing the workers, saying Candidate Bill White was "playing dirty politics".
Later, however, the very same operative provides an interview with the campaign adviser responsible for hiring the workers. On camera, he admits to have collected thousands of dollars from the Sanchez group, money he says he was to used to hire the workers, but then he claims that too many showed up and couldn't pay them all. Sanchez campaign would comment.
With interviews at hand, we arrived to the station where calls to management had been already made 
by at least one Sanchez operative, including James Legrand (right picture) campaign manager with apparent intentions to question our journalism integrity and coverage and stop the story from airing.
At the station all raw footage was carefully reviewed by news management, then prepared for air within very limited time constraints, and it did not make our first segment. However, with factual information at hand, a Sanchez political consultant, on camera, admitting to have been paid to hire the workers, and statements from both candidates, as well as the workers, the story aired at 5pm.
Sanchez ejects news crew
Elections Immigrant Workers without pay > PART- 2
Days later, the candidate in question called a press conference. The subject... "Grass Roots" campaigning. I was assigned to cover it.
During this press conference, the candidate emphasized the importance of "grassroots campaigning" Our first question...? What happened to those immigrant workers doing exactly that, and claiming not to have been paid...
Following the above story, and basic journalism principals, this reporter questioned the candidate, as well as their apparent promise to investigate the alleged worker's situation. 
Time after time, the candidate ignores our questions, and took someone else question.
Then after ignoring every question we asked -on camera- he says "Yes... I refused to answer your questions..." and then orders Gloria -referring to his campaign press contact- "Can you just call security and have him removed..." Sanchez had just in fact ordered his staff to remove forcibly this reporter and news photographer, actions captured on tape which shows how a Sanchez security employee rips Espinoza's notepad from his hand.
Furthermore, while this crew traveled back to the station, according to news management at the time- calls were also made to the newsroom and to the News Director by Sanchez campaign manager James LeGrand, trying to persuade the station from airing the story.
Upon our arrival tape was thoroughly reviewed by station management and then prepared for air.
A Nat-sound pkg. with no reporter's track, just the exchanged leading to our forced removal aired live at 5 & 10. The story presented only Nat-sound of the events with a Spanish language translation. Other stations in town did cover the incident itself, but apparently questioned instead our reporting, and the news crew, rather than the issue at hand. I can only assumed misguided by the Sanchez campaign.
In 2004 both reporter Patricio Espinoza and news photographer Cristian Luna received an Emmy Award for their work on the story. Orlando Sanchez lost his race. Espinoza's reporter's pad was never returned.
Watch reports:
| PART 1 | PART 2 | ENGLISH VERSION |
Copyright © 2003-2006 - air-checks Emmy entries - Patricio Espinoza, "En Su Defensa" KXLN 2003
Para nuestros amigos y colegas... Pero sobre todo para aquellos que nos permiten a diario entrar en sus vidas y contar sus historias... Sin ellos esto no significa nada.
Gracias Mil! 
