Residents call on Congresswoman Torres to stand against Trump

A crowd of 20 people showed up at the office of Congresswoman Norma Torres in Ontario to ask her to continue to fight for the immigrant community in the Inland Empire that is part of her district. 

Torres (CA-35) was not at her Ontario office, but organizer Bobbi Jo Chavarria said she planned to deliver some flowers to the Congresswoman along with signatures to ask for her support in pushing for impeachment against President Donald Trump and against Congress approving a budget for ICE and DHS. 

On Saturday, Congresswoman Torres issued a statement demanding the release of Jose Oleaz, a Pomona resident and father to his 13-year-old nephew,  detained by ICE during a raid this week.

“This is wrong; we cannot keep letting ICE terrorize our communities,” said Congresswoman Norma Torres. “ICE detained an innocent father and ripped him away from a 13-year-old child who depends on him for safety, stability and love. This child has already endured unimaginable loss, and now the government is inflicting even more trauma. ICE should be focused on finding and removing people who pose real threats to public safety, not targeting hardworking fathers who are doing everything right, working day and night to care for their families and keep their children safe.”

Chavarria said she wants Torres to know “that we got her back.”

As Chavarria is also a Democrat delegate, she said Democrats need to stand for something if they want to win the midterms.  

“I know folks will tell us, ‘we just gotta work on the midterms’,” Chavarria said. “But until the Democrats in Congress stand for something that folks can get behind, we could lose, still again, and Trump could keep winning if he even allows elections. So we know this is the moment we gotta fight back.”  

Community members at Torres’ office were part of the Free America Jan. 20 Walkout events. The Free America event page stated: “On January 20 at 2 PM local time, we will walk out of work, school, and commerce. We will withhold our labor, our participation, and our consent. A free America begins the moment we refuse to cooperate. This is not a request. This is a rupture. This is a protest and a promise. In the face of fascism, we will be ungovernable.”