Rep. Juan Vargas Hosted an Immigration Forum in El Centro
San Diego, CA (September 20, 2017)—Today, Rep. Juan Vargas (CA-51) hosted an Immigration Forum at the First United Methodist Church in El Centro. At the forum, constituents were able to speak with Rep. Vargas and hear directly from experts on immigration.
“There is an increased sense of uncertainty in our communities,” said Rep. Vargas. “I was glad to see the community attend this forum to get informed and discuss issues surrounding immigration. Thank you to those who attended and to the panelists who took the time to answer many important questions from my constituents.”
On September 5th, the Trump Administration announced the termination of the DACA program. At the forum, attendees were able to get updates about the DREAM Act, a bipartisan bill cosponsored by Rep. Vargas that would provide DREAMers with permanent status and a path to citizenship.
The forum featured a panel of experts on immigrant rights. Panelists included: California State Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia; Gerrlyn Gacao, Organizer, ACLU of San Diego and Imperial; Carlos Flores Vizcarra, Consul General of Mexico to Calexico, Mexico; and Vanessa Ceceña, Department Director-Immigrant Services, Catholic Charities.
Vargas represents California’s 51st Congressional District which includes the southern portion of San Diego County, all of Imperial County and California’s entire U.S.-Mexico border. Vargas was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2012 and is currently serving his third term in Congress. He serves on the House Financial Services Committee.
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