SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) — Santa Clara County leaders are coming together to demand action in their cities. In a time of fear and unknown, Latino members of local governments signed a pledge to not only talk about building a better community for immigrants and families, but actually doing something about it.
This comes as a mother and her children held each other a little tighter Monday, having experienced the pain of having a loved one literally stripped from their grasps.
Adilene Alvarez shared the story of when her husband was detained by ICE in April, while taking their two and three-year-old children to daycare.
“I held them as tight as I could, trying to be strong for them even though I was falling apart inside. That moment will never leave me,” Alvarez said.
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It’s a story all too familiar, as fear of immigration enforcement spreads throughout the country and here in the Bay Area.
But for the first time, Santa Clara County Latino leaders came together to deliver a pledge to combat harmful immigration policies.
“More importantly, that you commit to the next steps,” Santa Clara Co. Supervisor Sylvia Arenas said. “Which means, in your own municipality, you are going to make sure that you take policies and present them to your council, to your board, and make sure that they can pass.”
With each signature, a physical reminder to prove leadership is not measured solely by what is said, but by what is done – from the big city of San Jose to the smaller communities like Campbell.
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“I’m so proud of this unprecedented coalition that has come out to tell residents in Santa Clara County – immigrant, undocumented, mixed-status, whatever you are – this is your home, we are here for you and we have your back,” Campbell Mayor Sergio Lopez said.
Former San Jose City Councilmember Sergio Jimenez says this pledge comes at an important time.
He says the 4th of July holiday should serve as a reminder of where we came from when considering where we’re going.
“As you’re having the hot dogs, the BBQs, the fireworks, and you look at that flag, I would say remember the promise – remember the foundation of this very country,” Jimenez said.
These leaders stand by those original morals of one nation, where we can live with liberty and justice for all.
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