Bill protects children in immigration raids
Measure would allow them to stay in school if parents held.
Friday, Mar. 13, 2009
By Eddie Jimenez

A bill recently introduced in the state Assembly would create guidelines for schools to follow to protect children from intimidation -- and keep them in school -- during immigration raids, such as those that swept through Mendota two years ago.

Assembly Member Tony Mendoza, D-Norwalk, said AB 132 would require school officials to alert parents after receiving requests from law-enforcement officers seeking to question students. It also would require schools to notify families that their children's education would continue even if parents were taken into custody by immigration agents.

"The ultimate goal is to provide peace of mind and security for the children that we educate in our state," Mendoza said at a news conference Friday in downtown Fresno. He was flanked by local school and elected officials who voiced their support of the legislation.

Families were emotionally paralyzed during the Mendota raids, said Mayor Robert Silva. Some parents were afraid to send their children to school, he said.

"My community was devastated," he said.

Mendota Unified School District had a slight drop in enrollment for a day or two during the raids, Superintendent Gilbert Rossette said.

Mendota school officials support Mendoza's legislation, Rossette said in a phone interview. The bill "is reinforcing what we've been advocating," he said.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents swept through Mendota, a small farming community of about 8,000 residents in west Fresno County, in early 2007. City officials estimated about 200 people were arrested. Some children were left without parents.

Mendoza said his legislation would not keep ICE agents from doing their jobs. Rather, his bill would ease the fears of children and their families, he said.

ICE officials do not comment on pending legislation, spokeswoman Lori Haley said.

Mendoza, a former schoolteacher, said the need for the bill came up in conversations with former teaching colleagues and friends. Current law does not specifically address protecting the rights of children of undocumented immigrant parents, he said.

The reporter can be reached at ejimenez@fresnobee.com



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