The sudden reopening of the case, which she said was administratively closed over a decade ago, has affected nearly every aspect of her life, including her job. Valladares said her employer gave her a choice after learning she could be required to leave for court proceedings or potentially be detained: resign now or risk being fired and barred from working for the company again. “They told me that if I were to get detained and I couldn’t contact my job, it would be considered job abandonment, so ultimately if that happened, I wouldn’t be eligible for rehire,” she said. “However, if I resigned, I could be eligible for rehire one day and focus on fighting my case.”
She has since received food assistance and legal support from NorCal Resist, a Sacramento-based immigrant advocacy and mutual aid organization. NorCal Resist Program Director Giselle Garcia said a weeks-long battle to get the case moved to California, which included garnering support from Sacramento Congresswoman Doris Matsui, finally paid off. A second motion to change venue was accepted by the Atlanta court last month. But Garcia says that doesn’t mean Valladares’ life is back on track. “She lost a job that she worked very hard to get and to thrive in, she’s facing housing insecurity,” Garcia stressed. “She’s still going to be forced to engage in this procedure that is quite frankly not a fair one. The odds are always stacked against the respondent.”
Valladares now has to wait for the Sacramento immigration court to issue a new hearing date. Legal experts and immigration attorneys say it’s difficult to know exactly how many people are in similar situations as Valladares because data from immigration courts is often delayed.
The U.S. Department of Education is investigating how the Los Angeles Unified School District responds to educators accused of sexual misconduct with students.
The department accuses the district of maintaining a policy that “automatically” reassigns teachers to other schools when they are accused of sexual misconduct with students and cites a 2024 agreement with the teachers union.
A Los Angeles Unified spokesperson wrote in a statement that it’s “not true” that staff being investigated for sexual misconduct are reassigned to other school sites. “‘Reassignment’ typically means an employee is directed to remain at home and away from students and schools during an investigation,” the spokesperson wrote. United Teachers Los Angeles called the DOE’s accusations a “fundamental misunderstanding” of the district’s reassignment policy. “[Employees] are not reassigned to another classroom or to any other setting where they would interact with students,” read a statement provided by the union. “This policy protects both students and staff and creates conditions for a thorough and appropriate investigation of allegations.”
The federal investigation, overseen by the department’s Office for Civil Rights, will assess whether the district’s policy violates Title IX, a law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in federally funded education programs. Kimberly Richey, the assistant secretary for civil rights, wrote in a statement that Title IX requires schools to address claims of sexual misconduct in a “timely manner.” “It is unconscionable that the district would simply ignore Title IX’s procedural requirements to protect teachers who cause life-changing harm to their kids,” Richey wrote. “The Trump administration will always fight to uphold the law, protect the safety of all students and restore common sense to our schools.”
LAUSD protocol related to employee misconduct says administrators must remove accused employees from their classroom or worksite whenever there is a risk to the safety of students or staff. The 110-page protocol document also lists several other requirements for allegations related to sexual misconduct, including contacting law enforcement and the agencies that license teachers. “Los Angeles Unified takes all allegations of sexual misconduct and harassment with the utmost seriousness,” a spokesperson wrote in a statement. “Our primary responsibility is to ensure the safety, dignity and well-being of every student and staff member in our care.” The statement also said the district follows Title IX procedures and continuously reviews its policies, training and reporting systems.
Newsom calls on election officials to count ballots faster
Governor Gavin Newsom is asking California election officials to speed up their vote count in the June primary. In a letter to election officials, Newsom said “the longer the voting count takes, the more mis and disinformation spreads.”
But at a news conference on Tuesday, California Secretary of State Shirley Weber said the speed of the vote count is a balancing act. “We want to count fast, we want to be effective and efficient. But at the same time we want to make sure that we’re accurate,” she said.