e e k l y W EL CHICANo Vol 54, NO. 52
THIS WEEK
Gloria’s Cor ner
Immigration advocates looking for ‘hard commitments’ from Reps for Dream Act
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Kiwanis SB 30th annual toy giveaway
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IECN PHOTO COURTESY DIANEY MURILLO Members of the Inland Empire Clean Dream Act Council meeting with Congressman Pete Aguilar during a legislative visit in Washington D.C. on December 5, 2017.
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By Anthony Victoria
ime is of the essence for the 59,000 or so Dreamers that reside in the Inland Empire. Through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, young immigrants like Ingris Aparicio and Beatriz
Holiday community health, resource fair
Bayona received the opportunity to attend college and work for a living wage. But the Trump Administration’s announcement of DACA’s rescinding means their window of opportunity is dwindling quickly. In the midst of uncertainty, immigrant rights advocates are pressuring federal legislators to provide a per-
manent solution for Dreamers. “If nothing is done to save this, it will put myself and my parents at the risk of deportation,” said Bayona, a student at Cal State San Bernardino. “What will my sisters do if they don’t have us here with them? We don’t want to see our DREAM, cont. on next page
Great culture, dance, and food mark star t of San Ber nardino Posadas
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INSIDE ONE SECTION, 12 PAGES
Gloria’s Corner
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Legal Notices
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Words To think About A5
Opinion
Classified
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IECN PHOTO COURTESY
GARY FERRER
St. John’s Little Angels Baile Folklorico group performing for the community during the Posada event at St. John’s Episcopal Church in San Bernardino on Dec. 16, 2017. By Anthonia Victoria
ver a hundred people packed St. John’s Episcopal Church in San Bernardino on Dec. 16 for the convening of Las Posadas.
Dance instructor Gary Ferrer and his Baile Folklorico youth dancers provided a vivid performance of Mary and Joseph’s journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem to find shelter for the birth of their son Jesus.
The event’s purpose was to bring “a little bit of home” to area Latinos through art, culture, dance, and food, Ferrer said. Posadas in Mexico and Latin America are held for nearly two weeks and conPosadas, cont. on next page
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Decem ber 21, 2 017
Rep. Aguilar calls for immediate passage of the Dream Act
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ep. Pete Aguilar (D-San Bernardino) issued the following statement calling on Congressional Republicans to allow for a vote on the Dream Act, bipartisan legislation that would establish a pathway to citizenship for thousands of young immigrants, known as Dreamers, who came to the United States as children:
“Dreamers have earned their place here in the only country they’ve ever known as home, but by dismantling DACA, the president has put their futures at risk. By refusing to take action to protect Dreamers, Congress is allowing hundreds of thousands of young people to live in constant fear that the lives they’ve built here could suddenly be destroyed. Passing the Dream Act would simply codify what we already know to be true: that Dreamers are Americans. GOP leadership must allow us to vote on a clean Dream Act immediately, because these thousands of young people cannot wait any longer.”
Rep. Aguilar serves as Whip of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and has been vocally opposed to President Trump’s decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. He is an original cosponsor of the bipartisan Dream Act of 2017.