1 year ago
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FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - Fresno City Councilmember Luis Chavez held a gathering astatine Fresno City Hall connected Monday, focused connected addressing concerns astir wide deportations.
It comes after President-elect Donald Trump confirmed he plans to usage the U.S. subject to deport migrants surviving successful the U.S. illegally.
"I hosted the Immigrant Affairs Committee Summit {with} organizations that enactment with our migrant colonisation from crossed the Central Valley. Most of them bash service residents present successful Fresno County," helium said. "It was to one, clarify what is successful spot and what has been discussed, but much than anything, conscionable nonstop that connection that we enactment our migrant assemblage present successful Fresno. We privation to nonstop that connection to, you know, not conscionable the Central Valley, but the authorities and the country."
Chavez said astir 10 organizations showed up and came up with a database of antithetic topics impacting the community.
"I deliberation there's a batch of confusion, deficiency of clarity and, rather frankly, angst and fearfulness over, you know, household separation, peculiarly DACA recipients," helium said. "We cognize that these are young folks that are successful college. They're trying to get their documentation finalized successful order. So we're evidently urging them to taxable each of their renewals earlier Dec. 30 and 31 to guarantee that they person a speedy process, because, again, we don't cognize what incoming President Trump is going to bash with the migration issue."
A main interest of Chavez's is however Central Valley families could beryllium impacted.
"One of the main things that popped retired of the acme was the genuine fearfulness of folks that are scared. There's really close present a concerted effort connected having parents that are undocumented, that person children, that are citizens. What happens if they some get caught up successful a raid oregon successful a roundup?" helium said.
Chavez mentioned a communicative that stuck retired for him. He says erstwhile they had a societal idiosyncratic that described what a program would beryllium for the children should they get home, and their ma wasn't home. He said the kids didn't person relatives adjacent by.
"I deliberation the accusation of that is present you person children that could perchance beryllium successful the region foster attraction system. All the different atrocious people. I 100% hold they should beryllium apprehended and deported close away. But oftentimes there's a word that they usage immoderate collateral damage. Folks that person thing to bash with, you know, immoderate happened but get caught up successful these raids. So, that was a large taxable that we discussed," helium said.
Centro La Familia Advocacy Services was 1 of the groups invited to enactment successful the summit. Executive Director Margarita Rocha explained their enactment has been highly active, moving astir the timepiece to assistance assemblage members who scope retired successful request of assistance.
"Our phones are ringing each day, each time for a batch of questions, for a batch of antithetic things. But migration is hot," she said. "We bash not privation to bash immoderate harm. And that's 1 of the biggest concerns that was voiced contiguous arsenic well, is because, done my enactment and my unit and the families that we enactment with, we cognize there's a batch of fearfulness of the unknown."
Like Chavez, Rocha besides stressed the interaction wide deportations person connected families. At the meeting, Rocha said determination was an accent connected the value of getting section families the accusation they request to make a program of action.
"The partners that were successful this gathering cognize that our are steps of what we're planning for are forums connected 'Know Your Rights'. Because careless of the antithetic issues that are being successful presumption of deportation, radical inactive person rights if you're undocumented and that's what we person to learn," she said. "When individuals are arrested and acceptable up for deportation, children sometimes are near down and they whitethorn beryllium successful school, and the genitor has been taken in. So, that is the different thing. What are the plans?"
Both Chavez and Rocha besides said an uptick successful wage theft among migrant workers successful Fresno was discussed astatine the summit.
"We're moving with our metropolis attorney's bureau to clarify what our effect volition be. But there's been an summation in, you know, employers and folks not wanting to wage immigrants that mightiness not have, you know, documentation and past threatening to telephone crystal connected them," Chavez explained.
"We request to amended the individuals connected if thing similar this happens, who bash you study it to? Who bash you spell to? Who do you talk up to? Because that's truly what we privation them to beryllium capable to do. Speak up for themselves," Rocha said. "This is astir immoderate existent superior enactment to enactment successful spot to assistance individuals recognize what steps to take."
Chavez shared a connection with the assemblage up of the holidays.
"I deliberation sometimes we talk astir these issues successful the abstract form. It's immigration, it's deportations. But I deliberation astatine the extremity of the day, it's about people," helium said. "As we each beryllium down for our, you know, Thanksgiving dinner, we should retrieve the radical that really enactment that nutrient connected the table, the fruits and vegetables, the dairy products, the turkeys, that's thing oftentimes we forget. And I deliberation we request to retrieve that and grant that a small spot more."
Councilmember Chavez ran for a spot connected the Fresno County Board of Supervisors in the Nov. 5 General Election and recently declared triumph implicit incumbent Sal Quintero.
He said helium plans to proceed the efforts he's presently spearheading astatine the region level.
