Merced Archives - Faith in the Valley

Leader Profile: Carmen Ojeda

November 11, 2022
Faith in the Valley
Blog, Merced

A few years ago, Faith in the Valley leader Carmen Ojeda was taking an ESL class in her community of Dos Palos in Merced County when some classmates began sharing their concerns around language and involvement barriers in their children’s…

AAPI Heritage Month: Pastor Wangki Xiong

This AAPI Heritage Month, Let’s Honor Leaders Like Pastor Wangki

Pastor Wangki, of Trinity Christian Church in Merced, works to support the Southeast Asian community as they face language barriers, information barriers, transportation barriers, and the threat of anti-Asian racism in their daily lives.

Residents hold a rally calling for an end to the separation of immigrant children and parents who are detained by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, outside the Merced County Administration Building. (Photo by Andrew Kuhn)

Merced County Residents Join in ‘Call to Action’ Against Immigrant Family Separation

At a news conference on Friday in front of the Merced County Administration Building, about 20 advocates also urged legislators to join the cause and asked the community to join them Saturday morning in a march against family separation.

An officer sits at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement desk (Photo by Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

They Knocked on an Atwater Door Saying They Were Cops. They Were ICE, Advocates Say

A handful of people were picked up by immigration agents in Atwater during the weekend, according to advocates and a witness. The U.S. Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE, did not confirm the number of arrests from Sunday morning, but advocates for undocumented immigrants told the Sun-Star five people were picked up in deportation efforts in Atwater.

Here’s What Immigrant Advocates Said About ICE Arrests in Merced County

Local advocates are calling on elected officials, law enforcement and allies in Merced County to unite against the recent deportation efforts happening in Atwater and surrounding areas. Five men in Atwater were picked up by the U.S. Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, on Sunday morning and advocates rallied together quickly in response to the “unjust” way the five men were taken, they say.

Advocates Push Merced County to Help Undocumented Receive Healthcare

August 1, 2017
Faith in the Valley
Blog, Merced

This week, Building Healthy Communities Merced released a report outlining ways the county could potentially provide services for undocumented immigrants. The report explains that because undocumented immigrants aren’t eligible for health insurance under Covered California or most non-emergency coverage from Medi-Cal, advocates around the state have asked their counties to provide coverage to those undocumented.

Faith in Merced Leaders Recognized for Input on Merced City School District’s LCAP

Stakeholder engagement is a key piece of the LCAP process because it brings together parents, students, educators, administrators, and community members with the common goal of supporting student success.

Livingston votes on resolution to become Merced County’s first sanctuary city

Livingston Becomes Merced County’s First ‘Sanctuary City’

By Brianna Calix—May 17, 2017 A heated meeting ended Tuesday night at City Hall in Livingston with a divided council formally declaring the city a ‘sanctuary’ for undocumented immigrants, prompting cheering and hugging in the audience. The Livingston City Council…

Faith in Merced Leader: If Trumpcare Becomes Law, It Will Truly Hurt Merced County

By Nancy Reding—May 15, 2017 This letter to the editor was originally published in the Merced Sun-Star. The recent AHCA vote will be painful for Merced County. If “Trumpcare” eventually becomes law, our community will suffer. Here’s what the law…

Livingston Begins Work on a Resolution to Become Merced County’s First Sanctuary City

The town appears to be on its way to becoming Merced County’s first sanctuary city, a symbolic self-designation meant to ease the minds of undocumented immigrants worried over ongoing changes to immigration policy under the Trump administration. Emotions ran high during the regular meeting of the City Council on Tuesday as about a dozen residents spoke, some in English and some in Spanish, recounting their daily fears related to the undocumented immigrant status of themselves or their loved ones.