Hector Cantu writes the comic strip Baldo,
the only nationally syndicated comic strip about a Latino family.
John Yang: Even more dramatic was the 2007 April Fool’s day strip. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers wrongly accuse Tia Carmen of being in the country illegally and take her away in handcuffs.
Hector Cantu: It was just meant to be a gag. But we got so many e-mails from people saying, how could you do this to Tia Carmen? She’s such a lovely lady. She’s like a friend. She’s like my next-door neighbor.
And the more they said, the more I said, exactly. That’s the point.
Hector was recently interviewed for PBS Newshour.