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WASHINGTON — The Trump administration said Monday it is ending special protections for Salvadoran immigrants, an action that could force nearly 200,000 to leave the U.S. by September 2019 or face deportation.
El Salvador is the fourth country whose citizens have lost Temporary Protected Status under President Donald Trump. Salvadorans have been, by far, the largest beneficiaries of the program, which provides humanitarian relief for foreigners whose countries are hit with natural disasters or other strife.
WASHINGTON >> The Trump administration's decision to end special protections for about 200,0000 Salvadoran immigrants filled many Salvadoran families with dread Monday, raising the possibility that they will be forced to abandon their roots in the U.S. and return to a violent homeland they have not known for years, even decades.
WATSONVILLE — On Jan. 13, 2001, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit El Salvador, devastating the Central American country.
Almost 1,000 people were killed and more than 5,500 were injured. Hundreds of buildings were damaged and aftershocks continued to hit the region for weeks after.
For Tomas Escobar and his family, a decision in Washington D.C. on Monday could devastate their lives.
While his 14-year-old daughter is a U.S. citizen, Escobar, his wife and their 21-year-old daughter, who is in college, are not under any permanent legal status.
Nonetheless, they are legally living in California's central coast under the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program, which has provided renewable periods of asylum to those who fled, or are from, certain countries in distress.
WATSONVILLE >> Soquel resident Nelson Membreno, 44, fled to the U.S. 22 years ago from El Salvador, to escape a bloody civil war.
In 2001, along with other Salvadorans, he became eligible for Temporary Protected Status. The federal program was created under in 1990 under President George H. W. Bush to serve refugees and immigrants whose homeland was deemed unsafe.
The status allows people to stay working and living in the U.S.as long as their country is deemed too dangerous to return to.
SALINAS, CA – Congressman Jimmy Panetta (CA-20) today released the following statement opposing the Trump Administration's proposal to open all federal U.S. waters, including 90 percent of the nation's Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), for potential oil and gas exploration and development. The Draft Proposed Program (DPP) recommends oil drill lease opportunities in the Atlantic, Pacific, eastern Gulf of Mexico, and Arctic oceans, including two off of the central coast of California.
Assemblymember Mark Stone (D-Scotts Valley) knows that his description of the State Capitol sounds a lot like middle school.
"The cliques and the cool kids, and the geeks and the nerds," he says. "I'm not a popular kid, so I don't hang out with those guys."
It's the kind of environment in which sexism can go completely unchecked.
"The macho guy who is trying to pick up on the young interns, amongst our peers is seen as ‘that's really cool,'" Stone says. "And there's not really a consequence for that."
Rep. Jimmy Panetta, (D-Carmel) voted against the bill.
“I voted against this tax bill because it would have a negative impact on too many families on the central coast of California and our nation,” Panetta said in a release. “The bill lowers taxes for the wealthy, while raising taxes on many working and middle-class families. The bill would leave millions without health insurance or with increased premiums. It sets the stage for massive cuts to critical services and entitlements to my constituents and support for our communities. It will add $1.5 trillion to the national debt.”
Panetta said the bill caps the state and local tax deduction at $10,000, far below the average $23,000 deduction claimed by more than 177,000 households in California’s 20th Congressional District each year.
The plan also reduces the limit on the mortgage interest deduction, which will have a detrimental impact on high-cost housing markets in our district, Panetta said.
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.) released the following statement in response to the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act:
WASHINGTON – The co-chairs of the Democratic Caucus' National Security Task Force—Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, Rep. Stephanie Murphy of Florida, and Rep. Jimmy Panetta of California—issued the following statement in response to the President's National Security Strategy, which was released today: