Immigrant Group Wants Philadelphia School District to Set Rules for ICE : Immigration Law Blog

Troubled by the repetitive involvement of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in faculties, a Latinx immigrant rights group has requested the Faculty District of Philadelphia to put out clear guidelines and tips for ICE involvement on college premises. The group has additionally requested the college district to raised practice its employees and lecturers.

In February 2020, ICE officers detained a pregnant mom who had simply dropped off her youngster on the Eliza B. Kirkbride Elementary Faculty in Philadelphia. This incident raised panic within the minds of immigrants and refugee communities.

Juntos – Latinx Immigrant Group

Juntos, a community-led Latinx immigrant group in Philadelphia, launched its Sanctuary Colleges Marketing campaign at a information convention. The organizers known as for extra coaching for lecturers and employees, clearer district tips, and renewed monetary funding geared toward making faculties a safer place for youngsters immaterial of their immigration standing.

Zia Kandler, a neighborhood organizer, mentioned that Juntos had carried out a yearlong survey of 350 Philadelphia schoolteachers, school, and directors relating to the ICE interactions with the college. The survey revealed that almost 75% of the educators had acquired no coaching on how one can navigate ICE presence in faculties, whereas many didn’t know whom to contact if an ICE agent requested info relating to the scholar or the scholar’s household.

“Earlier than we are able to speak about these broader problems with what inclusive faculties ought to seem like, about reinvestment in language wants… we’ve got to speak in regards to the function of ICE in faculties,” Kandler mentioned. “It’s not the fault of 1 instructor or administrator who doesn’t know. There must be clear tips and instruments on how one can assist these college students.” This marketing campaign launch was Juntos’ first step in direction of a broader marketing campaign. Juntos goals to make sure that immigrant college students and households have their language, cultural, and neighborhood wants met in faculties.

Delicate Areas Memo

For over a decade, ICE has been working underneath the steerage of the delicate areas memo. The memo directs officers to keep away from enforcement actions at locations like church buildings, faculties, medical appointments, funerals, and some different delicate areas. ICE added COVID-19 vaccination appointments to its checklist of delicate areas earlier this yr. ICE can enter such areas solely in excessive circumstances, with prior approval.

Marketing campaign Proposal for Philadelphia Faculty District

Kandler, together with Juntos and its companion organizations, requested that the Philadelphia Faculty Board cross a decision with clear and concise directives. The immigrant teams need the college’s school to chorus from giving out scholar info and asking about, amassing, or sharing scholar immigration standing info. The teams demanded that schoolteachers be educated and that the district notify immigrant households of any ICE enforcement actions in or on college property.

The teams additionally proposed that college employees deny ICE detainers or requests except they’re legitimate judicial warrants; that the failure of college employees to stick to the rules should consequence of their termination; and that the district purchases no extra metallic detectors, facial scanners, or social media and information mining software program, as they could possibly be used for intrusive searches.

Philadelphia Faculty District’s Response

The varsity district circulated a 58-page immigrant and refugee toolkit to lecturers and college school. This directed lecturers and employees to name the district’s Basic Counsel if an ICE agent got here onto college property or in the event that they acquired a request for additional details about a scholar or their household.

The principal of Kirkbride Elementary, Rebecca Julien, had held neighborhood boards and coaching after a pregnant mom was detained outdoors her college final yr. “All through our District, I imagine we should stand with our immigrant and undocumented college students and households to know their rights, guard their security and defend their humanity,” said Julien in an electronic mail. She supplied her assist to Juntos’ proposal.

To study extra about this weblog put up or when you’ve got some other immigration issues, please be happy to contact me at rglahoud@norris-law.com or (484) 544-0022.