Local lawyer calls for accountability after Border Patrol, ICE operation
Shay Lawson
CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. — Days after federal immigration and border patrol agents were spotted in Cathedral City, family members and advocates said they’re still searching for Procopio Calva — at least one man detained.
Juan Espinoza, a community advocate and volunteer lawyer, said Calva has lived in Cathedral City for more than 40 years, after arriving in the U.S. at age 16.
“They did take him from outside of U-Haul,” Espinoza said. “His family still can’t find him. He’s lost in an abyss of a system that’s abusive.”
Espinoza said Calva has no criminal record and lives with a disability.
“He’s someone that helps on construction sites. He helps people in their gardens. He helps people move furniture. He’s the details that you notice all over the Coachella Valley, and he’s exactly the person that makes our valley better,” Espinoza said. “This is someone that has a disability that isn’t able to contact their family, that may now be lost somewhere and the family is completely distressed.”
Espinoza said this is just one of many similar cases he’s seen, and he’s urging families to reach out for help if a loved one is detained.
“We need to make sure fear isn’t what’s running our communities,” he said. “There are legal resources, there are organizations like TODEC.”
Stay with News Channel 3 for the full report at 10 and 11 p.m.