Local State Assemblyman headed to Central America
Assemblyman V. Manuel Perez, D-Coachella, will travel with other legislators to Central America next week to discuss immigration and other issues.
Perez, the Assembly majority leader, will be the policy lead on immigration for the delegation, which will visit El Salvador, Guatemala and Panama Monday through July 23, his office announced today.
The migrants who have entered the U.S. without legal permission and recently flooded the U.S. border — some of whom were transferred to Southern California in the last week — have been identified by the government as citizens of Central American countries fleeing to the U.S. to escape unspecified conflicts.
“I look forward to these important conversations with Central American government, business, and community leaders,” Perez said.
“Having just returned from touring a local immigration processing center in El Centro, I saw first hand and heard directly from both the border agents and the undocumented children and women who have fled to our country.”
Perez visited the El Centro Immigration & Customs Enforcement processing center Tuesday, where he spoke with migrants being held there, and ICE agents walked him through the intake and screening process. He said he supports the Obama administration’s request for $3.7 billion to deal with the immigration
crisis.
The legislators are also going to the three Central American countries to “strengthen ties and exchange information on issues such as trade and investment, goods movement, infrastructure, climate change, and energy policy,” according to an aide to Perez.
