Community
Immigration Program Allows Central American Families to Bring Minors in Danger to the U.S.
Cruz Hernandez and his wife Pabla Lobos haven’t seen their sons since the couple left El Salvador 16 years ago and resettled in Oakland.
“The truth is it’s really hard,” said Hernandez in an interview with the Post. “It’s been so many years since I’ve seen my sons. One of them was really little when I left. The hope I have is to be able to see them again.”
Hernandez’s family is one of hundreds of Central American families living in the East Bay who have left loved ones behind in order to seek better opportunities for their children still living in their home countries.
In recent years, however, countries like El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala have become life threatening places for certain populations due to repressive policing and widespread gang violence.
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is one of the few immigration resettlement agencies in the Bay Area that works with the federal government to help families reunite with minors who are being persecuted in their home countries.
Through the Central American Minors (CAM) program, family members living in the U.S. with temporary protection services, DACA or DAPA, can apply to bring to the U.S. relatives under the age of 21 as refugees if their lives are in danger. The program applies to young people living in El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala.
At the beginning of the year, Hernandez heard about the CAM program and began working on the application for his two sons through the IRC. He is now halfway through the process and is waiting to hear if his sons will qualify for refugee resettlement.
“So far, the process is going well, but my sons’ lives are in danger because of the gangs in their town,” said Hernandez. “They rarely leave the house, but it’s still not enough.”
“Gang members often come to their house and threaten them if they don’t pay,” he said. “Also the police are a problem. They broke into my sons’ home and tossed them around, thinking my sons were guilty of a crime they didn’t commit.”
Hernandez’s case is one of hundreds that the IRC has dealt with since April of 2015. While the application process is simple, the waiting period, which involves a lot of communication with the minors, can be up to a year or longer.
To date, the IRC has won seven resettlement cases.
One of the cases is Francisco Serrano’s two daughters, who arrived to San Francisco from El Salvador at the beginning of June of this year. Last month, they saw each other for the first time in 17 years.
“Our situation was tough because of the gangs,” Serrano told the Post. “One of my daughters studied at the University of El Salvador and gang members were always stalking her.”
“We didn’t know if we should take her out of school because she’s always wanted to study,” Serrano said. “She wanted to become a teacher so bad that she kept going to school while on the bus sometimes people would try to rob her.”
Hernandez and Serrano both told El Mundo that if families are in situations similar to theirs, they should seek help from resettlement agencies like the IRC.
“We know so many families that are in this same situation,” said Hernandez. “The CAM program has helped me so much and it’s so hard to have your sons so far away. There is help here so that your children can be here with you.”
For more information, or if you think you qualify, contact the IRC at (510) 452-8222. The IRC is located at 440 W Grand Ave #500 in Oakland.
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024
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Alameda County
DA Pamela Price Stands by Mom Who Lost Son to Gun Violence in Oakland
Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018.
Publisher’s note: Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018. The photo was too small for readers to see where the women were and what they were doing. Here we show Price and Jones as they complete a walk in memory of Scott. For more information and to contribute, please contact Carol Jones at 510-978-5517 at morefoundation.help@gmail.com. Courtesy photo.
City Government
Vallejo Welcomes Interim City Manager Beverli Marshall
At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Vallejo City Council appointed Beverli Marshall as the interim city manager. Her tenure in the City Manager’s Office began today, Wednesday, April 10. Mayor Robert McConnell praised Marshall’s extensive background, noting her “wide breadth of experience in many areas that will assist the City and its citizens in understanding the complexity of the many issues that must be solved” in Vallejo.
Special to The Post
At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Vallejo City Council appointed Beverli Marshall as the interim city manager. Her tenure in the City Manager’s Office began today, Wednesday, April 10.
Mayor Robert McConnell praised Marshall’s extensive background, noting her “wide breadth of experience in many areas that will assist the City and its citizens in understanding the complexity of the many issues that must be solved” in Vallejo.
Current City Manager Michael Malone, whose official departure is slated for April 18, expressed his well wishes. “I wish the City of Vallejo and Interim City Manager Marshall all the best in moving forward on the progress we’ve made to improve service to residents.” Malone expressed his hope that the staff and Council will work closely with ICM Marshall to “ensure success and prosperity for the City.”
According to the Vallejo Sun, Malone stepped into the role of interim city manager in 2021 and became permanent in 2022. Previously, Malone served as the city’s water director and decided to retire from city service e at the end of his contract which is April 18.
“I hope the excellent work of City staff will continue for years to come in Vallejo,” he said. “However, recent developments have led me to this decision to announce my retirement.”
When Malone was appointed, Vallejo was awash in scandals involving the housing division and the police department. A third of the city’s jobs went unfilled during most of his tenure, making for a rocky road for getting things done, the Vallejo Sun reported.
At last night’s council meeting, McConnell explained the selection process, highlighting the council’s confidence in achieving positive outcomes through a collaborative effort, and said this afternoon, “The Council is confident that by working closely together, positive results will be obtained.”
While the search for a permanent city manager is ongoing, an announcement is expected in the coming months.
On behalf of the City Council, Mayor McConnell extended gratitude to the staff, citizen groups, and recruitment firm.
“The Council wishes to thank the staff, the citizens’ group, and the recruitment firm for their diligent work and careful consideration for the selection of what is possibly the most important decision a Council can make on behalf of the betterment of our City,” McConnell said.
The Vallejo Sun contributed to this report.
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