'It can happen to anybody.' Modesto protesters rally against recent ICE actions

About a dozen people rallied in Salida on behalf of people targeted for deportation. Meanwhile, a new survey found that many San Joaquin Valley voters favor a program protecting the subset of this population known as Dreamers.

Monday's rally took place outside the district office of Rep. Jeff Denham, R-Turlock. The United Farm Works staged this event and five others in the state to protest recent actions against undocumented people by the federal Immigrant and Customs Enforcement.

Cecilia Flores held a sign picturing Martha Lozano of Modesto, who faces deportation to Mexico and fears that she will not get proper treatment there for her cancer.

Rally organizers said they were not aware of any other Stanislaus County residents who were recently targeted. Three residents of Atwater were questioned by ICE, according to another advocacy group.

“It can happen to anybody that we know — close friends, family friends,” said Flores. She is a U.S. citizen and was wearing a t-shirt that said, “American grown with Mexican roots.”

Denham was not at the Sisk Road office, and a spokeswoman could not be reached for comment about the ICE actions. His staff did issue a news release restating Denham's support for legislation that would permanently protect Dreamers.

These roughly 700,000 people entered the United States illegally with their parents and have been spared deportation under an executive order by President Barack Obama. The program, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, allows eligible people to attend college and get work permits. Congress has been wrangling over making it permanent.

“We have to stop allowing committees to put up roadblocks in bringing these different bills to the floor," Denham said. "We should have an open process with full debate, allowing amendments to come up for an American solution. The time to act is now.”

Denham also has introduced a bill that would legalize undocumented people who serve in the U.S. military.

The UFW also held rallies in Merced, Hanford, Bakersfield, Visalia, Salinas and the Tulare County town of Orosi.

The survey was conducted last month among 634 registered voters by the Institute for Leadership and Public Policy at Fresno State University. It found support for DACA from 93 percent of Democrats, 42 percent of Republicans and 76 percent of independents. Fifty-four percent of all respondents said they knew someone who would be affected if the program ended.

Fresno Bee staff writer Brianna Calix contributed to this report.