By Samuel Paramore Every day at my work, I’m able to see the close relationships between parents and children. The kids being held by parents who wouldn’t wish for any other child is the way it should be, a healthy bond for all. Without that, children lose important developmental benchmarks, such as trust of others, […]
How Cambodians Are Fighting Back Against the Deportation Machine
By Sandra De Anda Within the last two weeks, notices have been circulating around Facebook warning of coming deportations. “ICE is planning arrests of Cambodian community members in the next few weeks,” they warn. The Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC) lists numbers on the notices for affected persons to obtain legal representation. Within the time […]
Early Win in Suit Against Los Alamitos Anti-Sanctuary Law Holds Promise for Change
By Samuel Paramore Back when the Los Alamitos city council cast its final vote in April on the now infamous ordinance opting-out of the California Values Act, Orange County Immigrant Youth United stated that the moral arc and absolute victory would be with us in the end. As a lawsuit against the ordinance brought by […]
What to do With DACA Amid the Uncertainties About its Future
By Samuel Paramore Under Trump’s regime, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy has been a cruel, nauseating seesaw of torment. It seems every month or so, we’re back to the same point; DACA is being halted and plans need to be made for a life without it. Then, all of a sudden, DACA […]
What Undocumedia’s Struggle for Accountable Leadership Teaches Us All
By Abigail Marin A moment of reckoning came for Undocumedia when organizer Karla Estrada shed light upon years of misconduct incited by Ivan Ceja, a co-founder of the popular social media platform. Soon after, other organizations and victims also shared their individual stories of working with or being alongside Ceja reinforcing Estrada’s original allegations. For […]
OC Korean Community Has Immigration Fights on its Hands, Too
By Sandra De Anda Two weeks ago, I attended a community block party organized by the Korean Resource Center (KRC) held at The Source in Buena Park. I was filled with a great sense of joy seeing all these young people who identified as Korean-Americans, as well as other youth of color, getting together on […]
Visiting Immigrants in OC Detention Facilities Eases Pain of Isolation
By Samuel Paramore Undocumented immigrants in detention are always fearful of being forgotten. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) thrives on this isolation, using the hell of a cold cell block floor and windowless walls without sunlight piercing through to coerce them into early voluntary deportation agreements. It can be hard to confront a family member, […]
Why OC Should Pay Attention to Trump’s Visa Sanctions Against Laos and Myanmar
By Sandra De Anda This Sunday, my partner and I spent the day eating Laotian dishes and drinking Beerlao brews at Royal King Restaurant, a small but bustling hole-in-the-wall in Garden Grove. By early noon, all the tables were taken with the weekend lunch rush. By meal’s end, I felt full with food, but also […]
What First Defeat of DOJ Suit Against State’s “Sanctuary” Laws Means for OC
By Abigail Marin “Standing aside does not equate to standing in the way.” United States District Judge John A. Mendez’s words in response to Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ lawsuit deeming California’s “Sanctuary State” laws as “actively obstructing federal law enforcement” helped deliver the federal legal challenge its first defeat in court on Thursday. Mendez kept […]
Why We’re in San Diego to Grind Operation Streamline’s Fast-Track Down to a Halt
By Samuel Paramore Immigrant rights activists and allies from Orange County and beyond are gathered in San Diego today to protest against Operation Streamline’s expansion. The program is better known by critics as a legal “assembly line” for migrants caught crossing the border. It’s become a major feature of mass imprisonment and making private prisons […]
Leaked Handbook Shows ICE Allowed to Engage in “Otherwise Criminal Activity”
By Samuel Paramore Extortioners? Con Men? Wannabe Gangsters? All are seemingly appropriate labels to stick to undercover Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents following the revelations of a 227-page manual that Unicorn Riot, an alternative media outlet, published online. The Undercover Operations Handbook, reportedly having been current from 2008 up until 2016, shows an agency […]
Give ICE the Boot in OC to Keep Immigrant Families Together
By Abigail Marin On Thursday, activists from numerous immigrant rights organizations took the streets of Orange County with a clear demand. We want the county board of supervisors to boot Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) out of here until the 15-year-old federal agency is abolished for good. A diverse crowd met earlier at Morrison Park in […]
Anti-Arpaio Protesters Outnumber Ex-Sheriff Supporters in Yorba Linda
By Abigail Marin Local Know Nothing candidates running on a pro-Trump, anti-immigrant political agenda continue to place Orange County on edge by welcoming notorious xenophobes into the fold. On Friday, former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio made an appearance at the Yorba Linda Community Center at the invitation of Phil Liberatore, a no chance in […]
How Passing Rent Control in Santa Ana Will Benefit Undocumented Residents
By Samuel Paramore For many years, Santa Ana city council members and developers have coveted the gentrification of downtown. But it isn’t just Mexican storefronts disappearing because of hipster bars and high-priced eateries. Draconian landlords are an integral part of the displacement of low-income Latino tenants just trying to put a roof over their head. […]
The U.S. is Quietly Detaining and Deporting Our Cambodian and Vietnamese Neighbors
By Sandra De Anda Most of the migrant caravan Central Americans have been admitted into the United States to apply for asylum. While they await what comes next, refugees already in the country from Vietnam and Cambodia are quietly being sent back. Orange County is home to both populations. We frequent local Cambodian doughnut shops […]
March Without Borders Greeted the Migrant Caravan at Border That Divides Us All
By Samuel Paramore On Sunday, the March Without Borders arrived from Los Angeles to the U.S.-Mexico border at San Diego. They greeted the migrant caravan they’re supporting on the other side. Separated by the fencing that seals off Tijuana, the migrants endured a campaign of fear and misinformation spread about them by the Trump administration […]
Free Brake Light Repair Clinic Gives OC Police One Less Reason to Pull Us Over
By Sandra De Anda “The reason for the stop is your third brake light is out,” convicted South Carolina killer cop Michael Slager said to Walter Scott in 2015. Moments later, Slager shot Scott to death in the back after he ran away. Last year, another cop stopped Philando Castile in Minnesota for a broken tail […]
Win or Lose in Los Alamitos, Undocumented Immigrants Will Continue to Fight
By Samuel Paramore For a long time, Orange County’s preferred public image proclaimed itself a white suburban wonderland. The hard-working immigrant communities that are its backbone are made to be unseen, save for when they’re bashed for political expediency. Immigrants, undocumented or not, are always exploited for their labor and when it comes to their […]
OC’s Anti-Sanctuary State Revolt is On the Wrong Side of History
By Erik Garcia Many cities in Orange County faced a decision to make last week regarding California being a “Sanctuary State.” Fullerton chose to take no action in Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ federal lawsuit against our state’s laws, including SB 54, that offer a measure of protection from deportation to undocumented immigrants. But the city […]
Sheriff Sandra Hutchens Feeds OC’s Anti-Immigrant Frenzy With Latest Stunt
By Erik Garcia Orange County’s riding a wave of anti-immigrant hysteria that’s putting its Know Nothings back in the national spotlight. The Orange County board of supervisors got its turn after passing a resolution last week and joining federal lawsuits that seek to undermine SB 54–California’s “Sanctuary State” law–in building on a momentum that started […]
We Must Stop Orange County’s Backlash Against “Sanctuary State” Laws
By Samuel Paramore It’s been almost six months since California’s “Sanctuary State” bill was signed into law, marking a still-lacking but substantial step towards human rights for undocumented immigrants. Then, Attorney General Jeff Sessions filed a lawsuit against it and other protective laws, which is still pending in the courts. Of course, it’d be only […]