Thread: N. Texas district preps schools for immigration raids

N. Texas district preps schools for immigration raids
Associated Press
Aug. 23, 2008, 1:04PM

GARLAND — Garland school district officials are taking steps to ensure their students are not left without a legal guardian should their parents be deported in an immigration raid during school hours.

The Garland school district will ask all parents to provide the names and phone numbers of six emergency contacts. The district is also instructing school officials to not allow a student board a bus if a parent is detained or deported and no one else is available to take the child home, The Dallas Morning News reported Saturday.

The plan also forbids anyone not on the emergency contact list from withdrawing the student from school in the event of a raid, the paper reported.

"We don't anticipate large-scale raids here in our district because we don't really have the industry (known for hiring illegal immigrants) that suggests this sort of thing will happen here," said Shelly Hopkins, who oversees district programs for English learners. "But we do want to support principals (in cases) where the legal guardian has been detained and deported."

Carl Rusnok, a spokesman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Dallas, said his agency repeatedly asks parents taken into custody whether or not they are the sole caregivers for children.

"If they are sole caregivers, a decision is made whether these people can be released or (are) going to have to be held," Rusnok said. "We go through extraordinary means to ensure children are not left home alone or left alone at school."

South Gate Elementary School Principal Clyde Schilling said parents of his students have been detained two times before.

"This is relatively new to a lot of school districts," Schilling said. "I don't think it's a topic of discussion at the lunch table, but as you imagine, it is very upsetting when it happens to any of your students."

The Urban Institute and National Council of La Raza issued a report last fall urging school districts to make sure students had a safe place to go in the event of a raid. The National Immigration Law Center also advised people last year to prepare a form or document authorizing another adult to care for their minor children in the event of a raid.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5962274.html

Well now there's a school that's thinking ahead in an appropriate way!

Now another reason that the single parent households with anchor babies are so important. Mommy will get out of jail and not be deported because of her little citizens.
These laws have to be changed.

Garland school district officials are taking steps to ensure their students are not left without a legal guardian should their parents be deported in an immigration raid during school hours.

Report facts, not fictional propoganda.
NO illegal alien is DEPORTED in a raid--they are arrested and go through the court system and a deportation hearing AFTER a raid.

Quote of the Day........"My friends, we live in the greatest nation in the history of the world. I hope you'll join with me as we try to change it." -- Barack Obama

Until the anchor baby laws are changed, I'm afraid there will never be any significant decrease in illegal immigration. Many of the mothers of these anchor children have never worked a day in the US and never intend to. And probably most illegal alien women have an anchor child once they're here.

The Urban Institute and National Council of La Raza issued a report last fall urging school districts to make sure students had a safe place to go in the event of a raid. The National Immigration Law Center also advised people last year to prepare a form or document authorizing another adult to care for their minor children in the event of a raid.

Interesting......from what I have read schools don't inquire about the immigration status of students or their parents so how would they know who is affected by a raid? Will the schools provide a list of these students and parents to ICE since they receive federal funding?

Is La Raza funding the schools for this or is it at tax-payer expense?

It is a parent's/legal guardian's responsibility to notify the school and provide a 'safe' list who may pick-up a child from school--it has existed for years as school policy expecially important in custody disputes, single-parent homes, court restraining orders, foster care and other situtations.

Guess they are going to have to start asking legal status if they intend to make sure the kids have a legal caregiver. It's just one of those unavoidable questions when minors are involved. Especially if an aunt or something is illegal as well and might be getting busted at the same time. Otherwise then I guess it's foster homes.

Great catch, MyAmerica. And I am surprised the AP has sunk into this kind of reporting abyss and not posting the reporter's name is a pretty new one one me. Even stringers get their name posted on an article.
We have to get rid of the stupidity of not asking immigration status in schools and hospitals, plus the automatic anchor baby status.

Even stringers get their name posted on an article.

I think they picked this up off an AP release.

Added to Homepage:
http://www.alipac.us/article-3483--0-0.html