The Miami-Dade School District is not here for for the sudden uptick in immigration enforcement, vowing to protect its students and issuing what is essentially a “stay away” order to federal agents.
“On behalf of every single kid in this community, over my dead body will any federal entity enter our schools to take immigration actions against our kids,” Miami-Dade County Public School Superintendent Albert Carvalho resolutely stated, according to CBS Miami.
The news station notes that the district has reported undocumented students who are worried for themselves and their parents, who may be facing deportation under the new administration.
“Our people didn’t come to harm this country. They came here so their children could have a better future,” 10-year-old Jasmine Coach, a U.S.-born citizen, told Miami-Dade school board members Wednesday.
Jasmine’s mother, Laura, who is a student at Miami Dade College, is a Dreamer protected under Obama’s DREAM Act, but even though President Donald Trump has said he would not be taking action against so-called Dreamers, the news station reports that Jasmine worries about her mother every day.
“I worry about one day when I come back home she’s not there, she might be called, she might be already deported. It’s very sad,” Jasmine said.
School board members responded in kind, refusing to cooperate with immigration enforcement in any way. The resolution states that federal agents will not be welcome on campus.
“It should never be at a school. They have that ability to come in other parts of our community, but the school should never be a place where any child is questioned or taken from,” board member Lubby Navarro said.
Read more at CBS Miami.