Torres demands ORR pay legal aid providers for unaccompanied children
U.S. Rep. Norma Torres (D – Pomona, La Verne, San Dimas) yesterday joined a bicameral letter signed by 73 lawmakers from the Senate and House demanding the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) immediately reimburse legal service providers who have not been paid since December 2025 for work delivering legal representation to unaccompanied children.
The nonpayment, despite Congress having appropriated the funds for that purpose, has created a crisis for the nationwide network of nonprofit legal service providers that represent vulnerable children in immigration proceedings.
Without reimbursement, organizations face the prospect of laying off staff, stopping new cases, or ceasing operations entirely — leaving thousands of children without legal representation mid-case.
“ORR’s plain breach of contract threatens the viability of the nationwide network of nonprofit legal service providers that serve vulnerable unaccompanied children,” the lawmakers wrote. “These providers deliver critical legal representation, legal screenings, and Know Your Rights presentations to thousands of children across the country. Their work is essential to ensuring that children are protected from trafficking, exploitation, and other harms, and that they appear for and are able to meaningfully participate in their immigration proceedings.”
The lawmakers also raised alarm over reports that ORR is conditioning reimbursement on providers disclosing additional case-specific information not required under the contract.
The letter demands that ORR immediately fulfill all pending invoices, explain the payment delays, and confirm that it will impose no new conditions on payments already owed.
Padilla condemns Trump’s dissolution of fed office serving five million English learner students
U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) led 21 Senate colleagues in a letter to Education Secretary Linda McMahon this week condemning the Trump administration’s dissolution of the Department of Education’s Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA).
Congress established the specialized federal office to ensure that more than 5 million English learners across the country receive coordinated federal support, oversight, and technical assistance. The dissolution of OELA is particularly consequential for Los Angeles County, which has one of the largest English learner populations of any school district in the country.
“We are deeply concerned that these actions combined with significant workforce reductions implemented by the Department will impact the Department’s capacity to fulfill its statutory responsibilities under these laws and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which will have devastating and lasting consequences for the education of more than five million English learner students nationwide,” the senators wrote. “Dissolving specialized infrastructure does not eliminate the Department’s legal obligations to multilingual learners — it weakens the federal government’s capacity to fulfill them.”
Federal guidance, grants, and technical assistance administered through OELA support bilingual teacher preparation pathways, dual-language programs, and the recruitment and retention of multilingual educators at a time when school districts face persistent shortages of teachers equipped to serve English learner students.
The senators argued that distributing OELA’s functions across multiple offices creates significant risks of inefficiencies, gaps in oversight, and diminished technical assistance.
Barger brings the Ice Age to 900 Antelope Valley kids
Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger (R – Palmdale, Lancaster, Santa Clarita, San Marino, Pasadena, La Cañada Flintridge, portions of the San Gabriel Valley) spearheaded the La Brea Tar Pits Mobile Museum’s first-ever visit to the Antelope Valley this week — bringing saber-toothed cats, mammoths, real fossils, and Ice Age science directly to approximately 900 students at Quartz Hill Elementary School, 75 miles from the museum’s home in Los Angeles.
The 50-foot mobile museum — a state-of-the-art traveling version of one of the world’s richest Ice Age fossil sites — was stationed in the school’s playground during the final week of the school year, giving kindergarten through sixth-grade students an immersive prehistoric learning experience complete with fossils, hands-on activities, and what one third-grader described as a surprising discovery inside.
“I am an avid supporter and big fan of the La Brea Tar Pits Museum and am thrilled that we have a mobile experience that can reach rural communities,” Barger said. “Every child deserves access to enriching educational opportunities, regardless of where they live. Learning and excitement are a powerful combination, and this mobile museum delivers both in a remarkable way.”
The students were enthusiastic. “I like seeing the bones and the extinct animals. I’ve learned that sabertoothed tigers have a giant head. The funnest part is being able to see the fossils and animals — and all the skulls,” said James, a third-grader at the school. Madison, another third-grader, added: “I’m glad the museum came to our school. I love science, and I like seeing how things were back then. All my friends were really surprised — there was a slide in there! I hope they come back and visit us again.”
“Quartz Hill Elementary is proud to be the historic first stop for the Natural History Museum’s mobile museum in the Antelope Valley,” said Principal Shine Khalifa. “This is an unforgettable opportunity for our students to engage with world-class educational programming. On behalf of the Westside Union School District, I want to thank Supervisor Barger for her dedication to bringing these vital cultural and educational resources to our community.”
Whitesides celebrates 15 Santa Clarita, Antelope Valley students heading to military service academies
U.S. Rep. George Whitesides (D – Santa Clarita, Palmdale, Lancaster, Antelope Valley) held a send-off ceremony this weekend honoring 15 students from California’s 27th District who received appointments to United States military service academies and preparatory schools — among the most competitive and prestigious educational appointments in the country.
Whitesides spoke alongside Colonel Thomas M. Tauer, 412th Test Wing Commander at Edwards Air Force Base, and Naval Academy Midshipman Brett Dawson, a current service academy student from the district, to mark the achievement of students who will receive fully funded four-year undergraduate degrees followed by commissioned service as officers in the United States Armed Forces.
“Today, we are thrilled to celebrate some of the best and brightest students who received appointments to our nation’s Service Academies,” Whitesides said. “Getting to this point took hard work, leadership, and a deep desire to serve our country. These students have demonstrated not only academic excellence and athletic strength, but courage, discipline, and a deep sense of purpose.”
The appointments reflect a district with aerospace and military service woven deeply into its identity. The Antelope Valley sits adjacent to Edwards Air Force Base — one of the most significant military flight test installations in the world — as well as US Air Force Plant 42, Mojave Air and Space Port, and Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake.
Lancaster’s Aerospace Walk of Honor has recognized generations of test pilots who shaped American aviation and space history. That culture of service and flight has produced more than military academy appointees — Victor Glover, the first Black astronaut to pilot a mission reaching the moon as part of NASA’s Artemis II crew, was born in nearby Pomona.
Six students earned appointments to the United States Military Academy at West Point: Christine Chung of John F. Kennedy High School, Jack Millet of Legacy Christian Academy, Julie Dupont of Granada Hills Charter High School, Issaiah Mikah McCorvey of Lancaster High School, Audrey Kim of Hart High School, and Trenton Challgren-Hopkins of Notre Dame High School.
Three students earned appointments to the United States Air Force Academy: Jordehn Gammage of Canyon High School, Tatiana Valdez of Lancaster High School, and Pedroangel Castaneda of Castaic High School.
Two students earned appointments to the United States Naval Academy: William Gore of Paraclete High School and Kitira Bravo of Lancaster High School.
One student earned an appointment to the United States Coast Guard Academy: Penelope Theule of Libertas Preparatory School.
Two students earned appointments to the Air Force Academy Preparatory School: Kody Venzon of Highland High School and Kasey Faulk of Quartz Hill High School.
One student earned an appointment to Marion Military Institute: Josh Kim of Valencia High School.
