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.
Stockton city leaders are working with community groups to come up with a response to deal with the raids and help people understand their rights. “We are asking people, don’t give false information either, it’s better not to say anything, don’t try and change your name, for sure we don’t want you to try and run, any of those things. We just want to make sure you remain silent until you get an attorney,” said Pastor Trena Turner, executive director of Faith in the Valley.
The Supreme Court refused on Monday to fast-track the Trump administration’s directive for DACA to end next week, buying time for nearly 700,000 people like Hernandez who have received work permits and been temporarily protected from deportation through the program. About 18,000 people in Fresno, Tulare and Madera counties qualify for DACA. “You hear they’re working on a solution, but at the same time you see all the attacks and ICE raids here in the Valley, so you don’t know what to expect.”
In this Línea Abierta program , the Radio Bilingual News director, Samuel Orozco breaks down these and other topics with a group of distinguished guests, the Dreamers movement, a movement of the Christian faith, and political activism. Orozco offers a panoramic view of some of the dreamers' fighting possibilities, and also makes an important announcement.
Pitman Family Farms, Poindexter Nut Company and Fresh Select LLC have each been notified by ICE that their employee records will soon be audited, Faith in the Valley lead organizer Thomas Weiler said. Faith in the Valley typically offers outreach services to low-income workers, undocumented immigrants, youth and other underserved groups.
On February 6, community activists from Faith in the Valley held a rally outside the Bee Sweet packing shed. Stan Santos, a member of Communications Workers of America Local 9408, represented the local labor council in supporting the workers, who have no union. “People are very scared,” he charges. “Since ICE has all the records, they know where people live. Some workers are afraid they'll be visited at home.”
The 40 days of lent have begun and here in Bakersfield, that means 40 days of protests. The people behind the demonstrations said they're giving up a little bit of their time for lent in hopes of getting permanent protections for children brought to the country illegally. Faith in the Valley Kern is a network of churches and congragations and you'll see them fighting for DACA recipients outside local congressional offices until Easter Sunday.
According to Sierra Health Foundation, one in three children in the Valley lives in poverty, and in some counties nearly half of all children live in neighborhoods with high poverty rates. “Our policymakers cannot solve the problem of inequity in the state between race, income and health, or help the state truly be the Golden State, unless we examine and confront the complex issues that continue to plague the San Joaquin Valley,” said Pastor Trena Turner, Executive Director, Faith in the Valley.
No group has more at stake in the upcoming Gubernatorial race than California’s 15 million Latinos. This is why the Latino Community Foundation (LCF), one of Faith in the Valley's funders, is partnering with Univision to host The 2018 Gubernatorial Forum with a laser focus on the issues that matter most to Latinos in California. Jorge Ramos and Ilia Calderón, the award-winning Univision anchors, will moderate the forum.
A year after it was announced the effort to get a handle on Fresno's rental housing is getting off the ground. The city council approved the Rental Housing Improvement Act last year and Fresno Mayor Lee Brand announced the first step of identifying and registering rental properties is underway. "We are now ready to start the registry process with an ultimate goal to protect our residents, honor our good landlords and put the bad ones on notice," Fresno Mayor Lee Brand.
Stand up for justice and join us in protecting the rights and dignity of every immigrant and marginalized community in the Central Valley.
