Cox represents what Valley is about

It’s been 55 years since the Immigration and Nationality Act re-wrote American immigration policy and removed many of the barriers to immigrants from outside northern Europe. The United States is stronger and more diverse as a result.

Today, as our president stokes the flames of distrust and fear, it is more important than ever for us to stand together despite our varying backgrounds or immigration status, and realize that there are more things that unite us as Americans. We all want to see our children grow up in a better world, and we all care about the future of our families and communities.

Our labor- intensive valley farms have always depended on new-arrivals and immigrants to shoulder the burdens of the hard and heavy work required, and it is these generations of immigrant workers who have allowed my family to maintain our farm through the years.

The Trump administration, aided by David Valadao, has effectively ended the DREAM Act.

When he was in Congress, Valadao voted 21 times against a path to citizenship for DREAMERS and he only made weak, ineffectual attempts at coming to a bipartisan consensus on immigration. Our communities and our farmers, as much as our workers , deserve a representative in Congress who will do better than Valadao.

The Trump Administration and Republicans’ divisive policies are ripping the fabric of community that we’ve built here. What we need is more of what T.J. Cox has been doing: providing a path to citizenship to those who we already know deserve it. Congressman Cox represents what the Valley is about: strong families and strong communities.

David Boldt Parlier