UFW Foundation: Possible expansion of for-profit immigrant detention facilities in the Central Valley fuels local communities to get out to vote

Delano, Calif.—, Feb. 28, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On March 13, 2018, a farm worker husband-and-wife couple, Santos Hilario Garcia and Marcelina Garcia Porfecto, died in a tragic car crash in Delano, CA, while fleeing pursuing ICE agents, leaving six young orphans ages eight to 18.

On Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2020, the city of McFarland’s Planning Commission voted 2-2 rejecting a proposal from the private prison company GEO Group to convert two local state prisons into immigrant detention centers because members of the community marched, told their stories and remained throughout the hearing that extended into late hours. Hundreds of concerned community members and farm workers worry that detention facilities will escalate immigration enforcement, detentions and deportations not only in McFarland but nearby cities.

Expansion of immigrant detention centers in California’s Central Valley would be a betrayal for farm workers. Farm workers deserve to live with the peace of mind that they will make it home to their families after work. That is why, the UFW Foundation is focused on informing eligible voters about the critical role they play in the 2020 election and is proud to continue organizing in rural California to get out the vote. Farm workers and their children who are eligible to vote hold the power to electing legislators in charge of making important decisions that impact the future of communities, the state and our nation. There is no place for immigrant detention centers in the Central Valley and we are proud to stand in support of ensuring Latinos vote in the March 3 Primaries and this November.

Leydy Rangel
UFW Foundation
7608994604
[email protected]