Residents angry over potential termination of DACA
Also disgusted with U.S. veterans being deported
A crowd of more than 20 Tulare County residents gathered Friday morning in Porterville’s Centennial Plaza multipurpose room to voice their questions and concerns on not only what’s going on around the world, but also where House Majority Leader Kevin Mccarthy (R-bakersfield) stands on certain issues.
The first Friday of each month Mccarthy’s mobile office is in Porterville. A staff member from Mccarthy’s office hosts each mobile office held throughout California’s 23rd Congressional District.
The hour-long discussion revolved mostly on the country’s immigration issues, including the possible ending of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and U.S. veterans getting deported back to their country.
As far as Mccarthy’s stance on DACA — a program the Obama administration created back in 2012 that grants work permits, identity documents and relief from deportation to approximately 800,000 illegal immigrants who arrived in the country as youths — Cole Karr, Mccarthy’s field representative, said Mccarthy believes it is something that needs to be debated in Congress.
“It [DACA] is something that the congressman believes people depend on, and that we need to work with that,” Karr said.
However, Porterville resident Daniel Penaloza, and numerous other DACA advocates, want Mccarthy to meet with his constituents regarding the matter.
“I am a bit disappointed
with the congressman in the sense that I believe he should meet with us in a town hall,” said Penaloza, adding that the potential termination of DACA is causing many to live in fear.
“A lot of youth are fearful, a lot of them are scared to even apply now because they might be revoked,” said Penaloza, who is also a representative for Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA), a nonprofit organization based in Los Angeles.
Karr responded by saying Mccarthy believes the program “shouldn’t be originated from the stroke of a pen in the Oval Office.”
“Something like this shouldn’t be established through an executive order,” Karr said of Mccarthy’s stance on the DACA issue.
Woodville resident Leticia Lopez, who is also a member of CHIRLA, knows the pain of what happens when a family is separated and doesn’t want anyone else to have to go through it.
“In October of this year it is going to be 8 years that my mom is not with me because she came into this country illegally,” Lopez said, trying to hold back tears. “I am a U.S. citizen and am suffering because of this, because my mom is not here with me.”
Lopez said many DACA recipients have basically lived in the U.S. their whole life and noted that for them to be deported would be horrible.
“They would get sent back to a country that they do not know and that is why it is important to keep this program because they have been raised here with everything that America has to offer them and they are proud Americans,” she said.
She added, “I would like the congressman to consider that and to step up for our immigrant community that has lived here, that is proud to be here.”
Porterville resident Andy Smith said Mccarthy should really think about the impact getting rid of DACA would cause to the agriculture industry.
“I know Mccarthy is very attached to the oil, but our oil here is agriculture and it is powered by the immigrants,” Smith said, adding, “You are not going to get some white guy out in the field picking olives for $10.50 an hour, and no farmer is going to pay him the $35 that it is worth because it is hard work, it is really hard work.”
Smith added, “They are driving the engine that is our economy here. It is on the backs of these people that citrus and olives and dairy are even able to exist. If we are not stepping up to defend them we are not defending our way of life.”
As far as U.S. veterans getting deported, Smith said such a thing is just wrong and unacceptable.
“I want to know how long the paperwork has been getting lost on soldiers becoming citizens because we’ve got people in Tijuana that have served in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan,” Smith said. “That is a lot of years and that is crap.”
Porterville resident Josh Sulier agreed.
“The idea that someone is willing to sacrifice their life to serve a country that they are not actually a citizen of and not being able to immediately become a U.S. citizen following the completion of their service time makes absolutely no sense,” Sulier said. “Why hasn’t there been some sort of fast track program for these guys to become U.S. citizens. Why isn’t something like that in existence period.”