By Johnny Flores, Jr.
Coachella Unincorporated
Coachella, Calif. – Over 100 residents from throughout the Eastern Coachella Valley recently attended “Immigration 101” to learn about the deportation process and how to bring family members to the United States.
The seminar was presented by immigration attorney Jessica Dominguez at Our Lady of Soledad Church and was sponsored by Inland Congregations United for Change (ICUC), with sponsors such as the FIND Food Bank who were providing healthy snacks to all the attendees.
Alex Luna, a community organizer with ICUC, said it is important to bring this information to the community. “It allows those who are undocumented and have come to this country to learn about their rights and the opportunities they have here in America,” he said.
Dominguez is from Los Angeles, but she travels throughout the country giving presentations such as this to immigrant communities. She came to the Coachella Valley through the power of social media. Dominguez had received so many questions on her official Facebook and Twitter accounts, that she finally decided a presentation in this area was necessary.
Her presentation focused primarily on how to bring family members legally to the United States. She also described the deportation process in detail.
Early in the event, the organizers passed out blank note cards. On these note cards attendees were asked to write down any questions or concerns about either of these processes. Dominguez was able to address most of these questions and concerns during and after her presentation. As she spoke, a slideshow showed the key points along with easy-to-follow graphs, charts and pictures.
Being at this seminar was very educational for me. I learned a lot about deportation and other immigration processes. I was very surprised by how long these processes take.
More of these presentations should be held here in the Coachella valley. It opens your eyes to some of the struggles people have gone through because they want to become citizens of the United States or are being wrongly deported.
To find out about any upcoming ICUC seminars, visit www.icucpico.org.
