Latest news with #LatinoDay
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Separate Latino Days at state Capitol with dueling takes on state, national immigration crackdowns
Daniela Rodriguez, executive director of Migrant Equity Southeast, speaks during Wednesday's Latino Day at the state Capitol about the resilience of Latinos standing up for their rights. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder Republican President Donald Trump's mass deportation plans are inciting fear among immigrants throughout Georgia who are concerned about members of their communities being separated from friends, family members and coworkers. Since the president was sworn in on Jan. 20, raids led by Immigration and Customs Enforcement are on the rise, with more than 7,300 arrests so far across the nation. Trump issued a series of immigration orders since he took office for his second term in support of his campaign promises of mass deportation and a substantial increase in border patrol security. He quickly signed the Laken Riley Act legislation, named for a Georgia nursing student slain on the University of Georgia campus by a Venezuelan national who immigration authorities say entered the country illegally. Separate Latino Day celebrations took place at the state Capitol this week, with Georgia political factions voicing differing stances on Trump's controversial deportation plans. The issue of immigration policy continues to simmer in the Georgia Legislature, with several immigration-related bills filed since the session started in mid-January. Daniela Rodriguez, executive director of Migrant Equity Southeast, spoke about the challenges faced by Latino communities, including fear of ICE raids and other immigration crackdowns she says are unfair. She was one of the guest speakers at Wednesday's third annual Latino Day event at the state Capitol organized by the Latino Community Fund Georgia, the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials and 14 local organizations. 'These past few days have been tough and heavy. Even with all the preparation, the fear and worry in our immigrant communities feels very real,' Rodriguez said. 'Mothers are scared of being separated from their children, families are living in fear of ICE raids and unfair policies. This isn't just upsetting. This is wrong. No one should have to live in fear.' Rodriguez praised the resilience of Latinos in America in defending their rights. She urged a united front in the fight against sanctuary city laws and other policies discriminating against Latinos. 'This isn't the first time they're coming to attack us, and just like we've done it before, we will stand up and we will fight back,' Rodriguez said. 'Hope isn't just a feeling. Hope is a call to action. And I will continue to have hope, hope that this reality won't define our future. Hope that together, we will rise above these challenges.' A day earlier, Loganville Republican Rep. Rey Martinez hosted a press conference for Latino Day featuring speakers from conservative organizations like Libre Initiative. He said he has compassion for Latinos who are scared of being removed from their communities, but the Trump administration is going after criminals, whether they're violent gang members or immigrants lacking permanent legal status. 'They want to get rid of the bad apples first,' Martinez said. 'They want to get rid of, first, people who are here illegally, because obviously they broke the law.' There are reports that immigrants without permanent legal status are being detained in metro Atlanta, leaving some people, even legal immigrants, confused. Jefferson Dominguez, a board member with the Hispanic Construction Association, said he supported Trump's immigration plan, but was concerned about the large number of his employees afraid of coming to work despite being legally in the country. 'Whoever is working here with respect, paying taxes, and to do great things for this country should stay,' Dominguez said Tuesday inside the Capitol. 'We just want to get out the bad people that came here to do bad things. We don't want the bad people.' In Georgia, Republican lawmakers are pushing legislation that would stiffen penalties for local government officials and employees who do not report immigrants without permanent legal status to federal authorities. A state Senate committee hearing was held Wednesday for Senate Bill 21, which would allow for local government officials and employees in so-called sanctuary cities to be held criminally and civilly liable for crimes committed by immigrants without permanent legal status. The bill advanced out of committee and is now eligible for a vote by the full Senate. In 2024, Gov. Brian Kemp signed legislation requiring law enforcement to notify federal authorities when undocumented immigrants are arrested in Georgia. Under the state's new immigration law, local governments are subject to losing state funding and police and local officials may face misdemeanor charges for failing to enforce federal immigration laws. It is not just immigrants without permanent legal status who are targeted by Trump's orders. The Trump administration terminated humanitarian protections that allowed thousands of Venezuelans to work legally in the U.S. State Sen. RaShaun Kemp criticized Trump and other Republicans for supporting mass deportations and making insensitive remarks about migrants on Wednesday. 'As an Afro-Latino citizen, I have to say that this country that I love, I'm pretty disgusted to see what Donald Trump is doing up in DC,' said the Atlanta Democrat at Wednesday's Latino Day event in Liberty Plaza. 'He's going out of his way to hurt and scare our community. He said when he first came down that escalator, that immigrants bring drugs and crime, but I say immigrants bring opportunity and growth.' Dueling Latino Days at the Georgia capitol this week provided Latino and Hispanic organizations and government officials with a chance to celebrate the accomplishments of 1.1 million residents in Georgia, including 91,000 Latino-owned businesses. Attendees at both Latino Days stressed that the overwhelming majority of people with Hispanic and Latino heritage are hardworking people who care about their communities and families. On Tuesday, conservative Latino organizations celebrated the accomplishments of Latinos and the growing electorate that led to Trump winning 35% of their votes in 2024. 'In 2024 in Georgia, Hispanics made their voices heard in record numbers,' Martinez said. 'There are 498,000 registered Hispanics in the state of Georgia. Out of that 262,000 voted in 2024. That's a record number, and I owe it to all these folks for doing the hard work.' According to Gigi Pedraza, Executive Director of Latino Community Fund Georgia, 55% of Latinos own homes and have a higher employment rate than other racial and ethnic groups. 'Latinos and immigrants have been intrinsically connected to the successes of Georgia as a state,' Pedraza said Wednesday. 'Our community has and continues to lead in workforce participation, entrepreneurship and innovation across all sectors, regardless of documentation status, faith, race, ethnicity, gender, place of birth, and who we love.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Latino organizations, some lawmakers say Trump immigration policies scaring, concerning communities
Some lawmakers and Latino organizations in Georgia are worried about the fear they say President Donald Trump's immigration policies are causing in their communities. Channel 2′s Richard Elliot was at the Georgia State Capitol, where groups and lawmakers also said the opposite, that the new policies are just what the United States needs. Conservative organizations and lawmakers spoke Tuesday at the Capitol, saying the policies the Trump administration is putting forward are good for the country. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] On Wednesday, other lawmakers and Latino groups at the Capitol for a Latino Day celebration shared their concerns about what the policies are doing to their communities in the state. 'This isn't just upsetting, this is wrong,' Daniela Rodriguez of the Migrant Equity Southeast organization said. She joined other speakers at the Wednesday event, where those gathered spoke about the contributions and voting strength of Georgia's 1.1 million Latinos, while others spoke about how Trump's policies are affecting immigrants and citizens living in their communities. TRENDING STORIES: Hundreds gather at State Capitol steps to protest President Trump's policies Lawmaker files bill to keep Georgians from paying tax on inherited vehicles Georgia Rep. proposes new bill to ban traffic cameras in school zones 'Mothers are scared of being separated from their children,' Rodriguez said. 'Families are living in fear of ICE raids and unfair policies.' Atlanta Democratic State Senator Rashaun Kemp was there as well, disagreeing with Trump's policies. 'Donald Trump's recent action to mobilize ICE against Latinos across the country disgusts me,' he said. However, the Latino Day gathering on Tuesday struck a very different tone. The head of the Georgia Hispanic Construction Association, Jefferson Dominguez, said the policies were having an impact on worker turnout, but he was still supportive. 'I have to admit that there's some people that are afraid, because of misinformation that they see on some platforms, that they see on some platforms that is not true,' Dominguez said. Loganville Republican State Rep. Rey Martinez also supports the president's immigration policies. He told his constituents not to worry. 'They want to get rid of the bad apples first. They want to get rid of, first, the people who are here illegally, obviously, they broke the law,' the state representative said. Still, both groups agreed on one thing: the growing political strength of Georgia's Latino community. There are more than half a million registered Latino voters in the state. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Yahoo
Metro Atlanta preschool teacher pinched, locked children in bathroom for misbehavior, parents say
A beloved preschool teacher in Decatur is under investigation after multiple parents accused her of getting physical with their children and locking them in a bathroom when they misbehaved. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] The allegations came from parents with children at East Lake Early Learning Academy, which has a partnership with the YMCA and serves as a feeder school to Drew Charter School. Multiple sources told Channel 2′s Michael Seiden that the accused teacher 'grabbed' and 'pinched' their arms and locked them in a bathroom when they didn't listen to her. Channel 2 Action News isn't identifying the teacher because she hasn't been charged with a crime. A spokesman for the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning confirmed that the academy filed a report with the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services on Tuesday. 'The center just entered a required report to DFCS about an email from a parent in the 3-year-old classroom,' wrote Reg Griffin, Chief Communications Officer for DECAL. 'The parent advised the program that her child had a scratch on her arm and that her child advised her that the teacher grabbed her child by the arm, causing a scratch.' Griffin added that the report will be screened by DFCS and it will follow through to determine if an investigation by DECAL is warranted. TRENDING STORIES: Caught on video: Man accused of murder attacked in court by victim's family members GA care home employee knocked down 82-year-old patient who later died in the hospital Conservative groups hold own 'Latino Day' at State Capitol, support ICE operations around GA Channel 2 Action News reached out to the YMCA of Metro Atlanta and it issued the following statement: 'Yesterday, the YMCA of Metro Atlanta was made aware of a potential situation involving a teacher at the East Lake Early Learning Academy. As soon as we were informed, we followed standard protocols by promptly contacting the Bright from the Start state agency overseeing the program to ensure the matter was reviewed appropriately. Child safety remains our top priority at the Y, and we are committed to providing the East Lake community youth with a safe and supportive environment to learn.' Channel 2 Action News reviewed state records that show the school is in 'good standing.' But there have been problems in the past. Records show that the school was ordered to pay fines to the state following investigations in 2020, 2021 and 2022, which were all self-reported. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] On January 16, 2020, an investigation revealed that a two-year-old child was strapped into a wooden chair while crying. 'The teacher was observed to place a knee on the back of the chair, causing the child's chest to be pressed against the table,' wrote the investigator. 'The staff member asked the child,' Want to go cry in the bathroom?' The child was then locked in the restroom while being strapped to the chair for 26 minutes. The child was allowed out of the restroom, but remained strapped in the chair.' Investigators also reviewed video footage from a Jan. 17 incident that showed another staff member's misconduct. 'A staff member took another child's open hand and hit a two-year-old child in the face twice and on the back multiple times,' wrote the investigator.' The current director was not in charge of the school when it was investigated in 2020.
Yahoo
04-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Conservative groups hold own ‘Latino Day' at State Capitol, support ICE operations around GA
Wednesday marks three years of Latino Day at the state capitol. It's registered as a nonpartisan event with the goal of having members of the Latino community talk to lawmakers. But on Tuesday, Conservative Latino groups held their own Latino Day at the state capitol, all of them saying they fully support President Donald Trump's immigration policies and the ICE targeted operations inside their communities. Loganville Republican Rey Martinez insists those operations are just targeting criminals. 'You have to focus on what the Trump administration is saying. They want to get rid of the bad apples first. They want to get rid of first, the people who are here illegally, obviously, they broke the law,' Martinez said. But the ICE operations and Trump's immigration policies are having an impact on the reported 1.1 million Latinos living in Georgia. Channel 2's Richard Elliot spoke with the Georgia Hispanic Construction Association's Jefferson Dominguez. He concedes many Latino construction workers, even the ones here legally, are opting to stay home rather than come to work. He pleads with them not to listen to rumors and to come back. 'I have to admit that there's some people afraid because of misinformation that they see on some platforms that's not true,' Dominguez said. But Smyrna Democrat Gabriel Danchez believes it is true that many people are getting caught up in these targeted operations and that fear of arrest is running rampant through their community. 'People are terrified right now, and that's exactly what they want. They want to terrify communities because they want to get rid of everyone who is not rich or a white immigrant in this nation,' Sanchez said. There is another Latino Day celebration on Wednesday which will feature organizations including the Latino Community Fund Georgia and Galeo.
