Chicoan recalls xenophobia of her childhood

WWII internment camps unjustly imprisoned Americans
by Diane Suzuki | Posted June 22, 2018

courtesy of Diane Suzuki

I am Sansei, a third-generation Japanese-American who did not experience the hardship and humiliation of being rounded up without due process and imprisoned for three to four years as my elders did. But I did experience the racism and xenophobia in the 1950s in the aftermath of war.

Refugees fleeing violence from their homelands south of our border are now being locked up in immigration detention centers that are intentionally located in isolated sites. Americans should be ashamed that these men, women and children are being imprisoned in our country with the threat of being sent back to where they might be killed. read more

Butte County supervisors oppose sanctuary

County takes sides in fight between state and Trump administration
by Leslie Layton | Posted April 26, 2018

photo by Leslie Layton

Dave Garcia, Chris Nelson and Julie Garza-Withers protested the board’s vote.

The Butte County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to oppose California’s sanctuary law, passing a resolution that opposes state policy on immigration and recognizes federal government authority.

Supervisors voted 5-0 in favor of a political statement, a resolution that contends that the sanctuary law places “restrictions and limitations” on the Butte County Sheriff’s Office that could have a “potentially negative impact on public safety.”

The resolution, which escaped the notice of most media outlets and the public, acknowledges the Trump administration’s lawsuit against the state of California and says the administration could attempt to withhold federal grants from “jurisdictions that violate federal law” by prohibiting collaboration with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). read more

“We need to get home”

A U.S. veteran assists other vets deported to Mexico
by ChicoSol staff | Posted January 14, 2018

Héctor Barajas opened what has become a resource center and shelter for U.S. veterans who have been deported to Mexico, often because of convictions for non-violent crimes. He tells his story — and the story of many other legal U.S. residents who served in this country’s military — in this video produced by ChicoSol contributor Erik Aguilar. Learn more about the Deported Veterans Support House by visiting its website or Facebook page.

Migrant Ed students present to BCOE

A summer institute changes lives
by Leslie Layton | Posted October 19, 2017

Five teenagers from this area who have participated recently in Migrant Education summer leadership programs described a transformational experience in presentations Monday to the Butte County Office of Education board.

Migrant students presentations
Migrant Ed student presentations

Oct. 16 Butte County Office of Education board meeting

Marco Antonio Villa Cruz
Marco Antonio Villa Cruz

"One of the most interesting things I learned was about how Martin Luther King fought for the freedom of African Americans. He wanted a new way of living and he believed we could do it."

Angel Barrera
Angel Barrera

The 14-year-old Gridley student visited sites in Washington, D.C., including, he said, the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, Marine Corps War Memorial and Lincoln Memorial.

Noemi Chavez
Noemi Chavez

"I was forced to get out of my comfort zone and make friends."

Victor_Jimenez
Victor Jimenez

He couldn't get into the flamenco guitar elective, because it was full, but liked theater "even better."

Janet Velazquez
Janet Velazquez

"My parents work their butts off and I have to make them proud."

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Noemi Chavez, a Gridley High School senior, said the Migrant Student Leadership Institute (MSLI) program at California State University, Sacramento (CSUS), “taught me how to be myself.”

“Three or four years ago, I never would have said I was born in Mexico,” Chavez told the board. “MSLI taught me not to hide where I came from. It gave us hope. Now I’m applying to college.” read more

Dreamers worry Trump could end DACA

Republican leaders urge Trump to act by Sept. 5
by Gabriel Sandoval | Posted August 31, 2017

La Opinión photo courtesy of NAM

Aldo is worried, indeed afraid, that President Donald Trump may soon end or phase out a federal deportation-relief program, making it harder for him to live, work and study in the United States.

“My plan of getting my master’s, my plan of getting my doctorate, now looks very unrealistic,” said Aldo, a senior anthropology major at Chico State who requested that ChicoSol omit his last name.

Aldo is one of nearly 800,000 immigrants who benefit from the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, which grants temporary deportation relief, work permits and Social Security numbers to law-abiding people who were brought to the country illegally as children. read more