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By Norm Frauenheim-

TUCSON, Ariz. – Oscar Valdez Jr. doesn’t have to look far to see a Dreamer. He sees one in his own reflection in the mirror. He sees one in old friends. New ones, too. He sees one in his trainer Manny Robles. And even in a grandfather.

Valdez, a featherweight with roots on both sides of the border between the United States and Mexico, doesn’t fit today’s legal definition of a Dreamer.

Polarized politics have somehow twisted the term into some thing hard to recognize. Everything is controversial these days, even dreaming. But Valdez doesn’t needs to read the legal fine print to know that he is a Dreamer in every other way that matters.

He’s lived the life. He was born in Nogales, on the Mexican side of the border with Arizona. He moved to Tucson as a kid with his parents.

Years later, he returned to Nogales with his dad. His mom stayed in Tucson. He’s Mexican and American. American and Mexican. He speaks two languages, Spanish and English. He has dual citizenship, U.S. and Mexican. He has family in Tucson and Nogales, Hermosillo and Ohio.

A few weeks ago, the two-time Mexican Olympian heard President Donald Trump rescind the federal program — Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) — that protects young undocumented immigrants from deportation. Then, he watched people his own age and with the same life experience protest in a battle to keep the program intact. He hears himself in their protests. Sees himself in their fight to stay in the only country they have ever known.

“I’m a Dreamer,’’ said Valdez Jr. (22-0, 19 KOs), whose own dream will continue to play out Friday when the WBO champion faces Filipino Genesis Servania (29-0, 12 KOs) at Tucson Convention Center on ESPN (7:30 p.m. PT/10:30 a.m. ET). “I think we’re all Dreamers.’’

In his grandfather Luis Fierro, the grandson sees a dreamer and a dream worth fighting for. Fierro was arrested last month in southern Arizona, reportedly for an old traffic ticket. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents filed charges that could result in his deportation, according to Valdez, who said Fierro was jailed for about three weeks.

“But we got him out from behind bars,’’ said Valdez, whose trainer, Robles, was born in Mexico and grew up in Los Angeles after arriving in the U.S. from Guadalajara to join his parents as a 6-year-old kid in 1978. “My grandfather will be at the fight Friday night.’’

Valdez promoter Bob Arum, a vocal Trump opponent, hopes 500 Dreamers will be there alongside Fierro. The Top Rank promoter will give tickets to the first 500 Dreamers who show up at the box office with a Federal Employment Authorization card.

“Top Rank wants to make it clear that we stand in solidarity with the Dreamers,’’ Arum said in a statement Monday and repeated in a conference call Tuesday. “We are ashamed of the way they are being treated by the Administration in Washington. Americans are way better than this.’’

A year ago, Valdez found himself in the middle of Arum’s opposition to Trump. He was part of Arum’s “No-Trump Undercard” last November before a main event featuring a Manny Pacquiao victory over Jessie Vargas in Las Vegas.

Then, Valdez was a lot more interested in talking about punches than politics. He still is. But politics are hard to avoid these days, especially when a grandfather gets arrested. Valdez said other members of his family have been affected. They are frightened, said Valdez, who said they didn’t want to be identified. He said he told them OK, that he’d speak for them.

“To me it is a great honor to be able to be a voice that can bring light to this issue and defend those that are in need and don’t have someone that will stand up for them,’ Valdez said. “I have family members that are in danger of being deported over the decisions taken by our government against DACA. I will not stand around and watch silently.

“I completely support this initiative taken by Top Rank and I want everyone to know that we will stand together and we will fight for what is right.’’

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