In the News
Inland House Democrats ‘gravely concerned’ about proposed shelter for undocumented immigrant children
Building a shelter in the Inland Empire to house up to 430 unaccompanied minors who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border doesn't make sense and raises "serious concerns," four House Democrats who represent the region wrote in a letter Monday, Aug. 19.The two-page letter addressed to the head of the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement comes as the office seeks to lease space for a shelter for "Unaccompanied Alien Children." Officials are searching an area encompassing much of western Riverside … Continue Reading
August 16, 2019
U.S. proposal to open shelter for unaccompanied migrant children in Inland Empire draws fire
Congressional representatives and immigrant advocates are criticizing the federal government's proposal to open a new shelter for unaccompanied migrant children in the Inland Empire.The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Refugee Resettlement is looking to lease a site of up to 91,000 square feet to house approximately 430 children, according to a solicitation posted Aug. 5 by the General Services Administration on the Federal Business Opportunities website.The shelter is … Continue Reading
August 15, 2019
National Science Foundation awards $475K grant to Cal Poly Pomona
The National Science Foundation awarded a $475,000 Faculty Early Career Development Program grant to Cal Poly Pomona, it was announced Monday.The funding will enable Cal Poly Pomona undergraduate researchers to expand research into the "metal-nitrogen oxide interactions and enable the recruitment of a diverse Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics workforce," according to a statement released by the office of U.S. Rep. Norma J. Torres, D-Pomona."Cal Poly Pomona is shaping the next … Continue Reading
August 13, 2019
Having trouble with a federal agency? Inland congressional offices may be able to help
It took months for Debra Cummings' disability benefits to kick in.But when the check arrived, it wasn't for the full amount. So the 58-year-old Redlands resident made several phone calls to the Social Security Administration. She wasn't getting anywhere, until an employee threw her a lifeline."They said you need to speak to your local congressman," said Cummings, a retired teacher with the Los Angeles Unified School District. "I made the call, wrote a letter and within a week, seriously, … Continue Reading
August 09, 2019
Una congresista de EE.UU. llora por la salida de la CICIG y pide al pueblo apoyo
La congresista estadounidense Norma Torres lloró este jueves al recordar la inminente salida de la Comisión Internacional Contra la Impunidad en Guatemala (CICIG) y pidió al pueblo apoyar a los funcionarios que todavía quedan en el país centroamericano."Es muy difícil decir adiós", dijo visiblemente emocionada, y agregó que esta situación es aún más complicada cuando "el 70 por ciento del pueblo los apoya a ellos, reconociendo el trabajo que ellos hicieron contra la impunidad y la … Continue Reading
August 09, 2019
Fontana celebrates National Night Out
Fontana celebrated the 36th annual National Night Out, along with many other communities nationwide, on Aug. 6.National Night Out promotes Neighborhood Watch, strengthen police-community partnerships, and celebrates the building of a safer, more caring community. The event is designed to heighten crime prevention awareness and send a message to criminals that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back.Fontana's event, which drew a large crowd at Miller Park, had a goal of providing an … Continue Reading
August 08, 2019
In Guatemala, Pelosi says migrant treatment 'shameful', worries about Trump deal
GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi criticized U.S. treatment of migrants during a visit to Guatemala, and raised doubts about whether the Central American country could cope with a migration deal agreed with the Trump administration.Pelosi, a Democrat, was visiting Central America on Thursday with a bipartisan congressional delegation just as the region was coming under pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to do more to stop migrants reaching the … Continue Reading
August 02, 2019
Asylum Deal With Guatemala Is Contentious, Despite U.S. Assurances
GUATEMALA CITY — One week after reaching a deal that would force Guatemala to absorb Central American migrants seeking asylum in the United States, the head of the Department of Homeland Security assured Guatemalan officials that the United States would invest in the country and try to sign similar agreements with at least five other nations in the region.The contentious deal with Guatemala, known as a "safe third country agreement," would make migrants ineligible for protection in the United … Continue Reading
July 26, 2019
Trump signs "safe third country" asylum agreement with Guatemala
A new agreement between the U.S. and Guatemala would require any migrants who pass through that country to seek asylum there, the White House announced Friday. If the law takes effect, migrants who are apprehended in the U.S. would be deported Guatemala despite their country of origin. A similar "Safe Third Country" agreement has been in place between the U.S. and Canada since 2004. The agreement comes after Guatemala's Constitutional Court blocked that country's president from declaring … Continue Reading
July 19, 2019
Norma Torres habla en apoyo a los guatemaltecos ante la Cámara de Representantes
La Congresista estadounidense Norma Torres habló este jueves ante la Cámara de Representantes en apoyo al pueblo guatemalteco a quienes les pidió no perder la esperanza ante la situación que enfrenta el país.La congresista dijo que Guatemala se encuentra en una encrucijada debido a la salida de la Comisión Internacional contra la Impunidad en Guatemala (CICIG) que termina su mandato en septiembre, así como el desarrollo de las elecciones presidenciales que genera incertidumbre en la ciudadanía … Continue Reading
July 16, 2019
Avanza hacia el Senado propuesta impulsada por Norma Torres referente a la niñez centroamericana
Con la finalidad de proteger a mujeres y niños de la violencia en Centroamérica, hace unos meses las congresistas Norma Torres y Ann Wagner presentaron una iniciativa de ley que ahora queda en manos del Senado estadonunidense.Ambas congresistas, copresidentas del caucus bipartidista de asuntos de Centroamérica, anunciaron que dicho proyecto fue aprobado por la Cámara de Representantes como parte del H. R. 2615, de la Ley de Compromiso Mejorado del Triángulo Norte-Estados Unidos.Proteger a … Continue Reading
July 16, 2019
House votes to block Trump bid to ease small-arms exports
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Legislation approved by the U.S. House of Representatives would block President Donald Trump's plan to overhaul small-arms export policy to make it easier for gun makers to sell weapons like flamethrowers and grenades to foreign buyers.The administration's proposal would transfer regulation of some firearms exports to the Commerce Department from the State Department, which critics said would lessen oversight of such sales."This doesn't prevent or create any new … Continue Reading
July 16, 2019
This New Act Could Make Applying for Citizenship Way Cheaper
The barriers for U.S. citizenship are largely immeasurable — from immigrants traveling thousands of miles by foot to apply for asylum, to folks applying for citizenship after moving to the country for work. But one barrier is universal: expense.Today, it costs $725 for legal permanent residents to simply apply for U.S. citizenship. In 1989, it was just $60. So, on June 13, New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez and California Representative Norma Torres introduced a bill that could change that.The … Continue Reading
July 02, 2019
The flow of guns from the U.S. to Mexico is getting lost in the border debate
President Donald Trump campaigned on border security and building a wall to, among other things, protect the United States from violence in Mexico and Central America.But while his administration's hardline approach to immigration has focused on dealing with an influx of migrants along the southern border, which Trump in speeches and tweets also ties to an influx of drugs and crime, he has not addressed a central part of the violence that drives the displacement of many families in Mexico and … Continue Reading
July 02, 2019
Democratic lawmaker says she 'did not see progress' in border detention facility conditions
(CNN) A Democratic lawmaker who recently toured Texas detention facilities claimed she's seen no improvements in conditions for the detained migrants."I did not see progress," Rep. Norma Torres of California told CNN's Alisyn Camerota on "New Day" Tuesday, adding later, "I want to be sure that you understand that the conditions have not changed a single bit from the last time where I was at one of these locations eight months ago."On Monday, members of the Hispanic Congressional Caucus toured … Continue Reading
July 02, 2019
Democratic outrage grows over conditions at border detention centers
Democratic anger over the conditions faced by immigrants detained at the border grew Tuesday, a day after a group of lawmakers visited some of the most controversial shelters in Texas.Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chairman Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) tweeted photos and videos of Monday's visit by 14 lawmakers to a facility in Clint, Texas. He said the photos underlined concerns that the centers are overcrowded and those held face inhumane conditions.In some of Castro's photos, women could be … Continue Reading
June 27, 2019
Fontana could get federal funds for major transportation project
Fontana could receive federal funding for a major transportation upgrade known as the #BUILDFontana project, according to Rep. Norma J. Torres (D-35th District).On June 25, Torres announced House passage of more than $305 million in federal funding she requested for transportation and infrastructure improvements in the Fiscal Year 2020 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Funding Bill.Torres said the legislation may help alleviate traffic congestion in Fontana … Continue Reading
June 27, 2019
Inland Empire group responds to Supreme Court's ruling on Census citizenship question
An Inland Empire group which is promoting the value of the United States Census is applauding the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling which temporarily blocked a citizenship question from being placed on the Census 2020 questionnaire.On June 27, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4, with Chief Justice John Roberts casting the deciding vote, that the Trump Administration's plan to add the question would be halted for now, although its ultimate fate remained unclear.Census IE, a coalition of non-profit and … Continue Reading
June 24, 2019
Rep. Norma Torres introduces bill to rename Montclair post office after late Mayor Paul Eaton
Montclair may soon have a permanent monument to the city's longest-serving mayor.On June 18, Rep. Norma J. Torres, D-Ontario, introduced a bill to rename the United States Post Office located at 5186 Benito St. in Montclair after former Mayor Paul Eaton, who died in July after serving as the city's mayor for 23 years."Mayor Paul Eaton was a fierce advocate for Montclair residents and a pillar of the Inland Empire community," Torres said in a news release issued by her office. "His decades of … Continue Reading
June 13, 2019
Congresistas demócratas presentan proyecto de ley para abaratar el costo de la ciudadanía
Un grupo demócrata integrado por seis senadores y seis representantes presentaron este jueves en ambas cámaras del Congreso un proyectó de ley para hacer "más accesible" la ciudadanía estadounidense reduciendo los costos del proceso.Liderados por el senador Bob Menéndez (Nueva Jersey) y la congresista Norma Torres (California), la iniciativa, denominada Ley de Ciudadanía Asequible (Citizenship Affordability Act), preservaría y expandiría el acceso a la naturalización al asegurar que residentes … Continue Reading