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…

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.