(NAME-MCE) Are Immigration Authorities Going After School Children Now?

[Anselmo Villanueva]

Are Immigration Authorities Going After School Children Now?

* By Amanda Martinez <http://www.alternet.org/authors/8758/>, New American
Media <http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/>. Posted May 8,
2008<http://www.alternet.org/ts/archives/?date%5BF%5D=05&date%5BY%5D=2008&date%5Bd%5D=08&act=Go/>
.*

*http://www.alternet.org/rights/84718/
*


*Editor's Note: Immigration raids near schools in Berkeley and Oakland have
sent waves of panic in the communities and may keep undocumented students
from attending class, writes NAM education reporter Amanda Martinez.*

OAKLAND, Calif. - Berkeley High senior Chase Stern said he was taking an
Advanced Placement test May 6, when he noticed that his classmates were
fidgeting in their seats and seemed distracted.

He soon found out that the Latino students were receiving text messages and
phone calls from family members, warning them that Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE) officers were nearby, and that they should be cautious and
find their way home because family members could not pick them up.

Scores of undocumented parents began to panic as early as 7: 30 a.m. May 6,
as word got around that ICE vehicles were parked near schools in East
Oakland and South Berkeley.

Parent liaison Isela Barbosa said she was swamped with phone calls all day.
"Parents were so afraid to come to the school, they called family members
and neighbors, whoever had papers, to pick up their children."

A community member contacted Mark Coplan, Berkeley Unified School District's
public information officer to tell him that a Latino family from South
Berkley had been detained at a house near Russell Street, and that neighbors
had spotted ICE vehicles near school areas.

By noon, the district had received so many calls from concerned parents that
they set up an automated voice message system, assuring parents that that
there was no way they would allow ICE officers to pick up students from
school campuses. These messages were sent out both in English and in
Spanish.

At about the same time, Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) officials
were receiving similar calls from concerned parents and community members
that ICE agency vehicles had been spotted near four Oakland schools,
including Esperanza Elementary, where parents say they saw agents parked on
International Blvd, 98th, 95th, and San Leandro Boulevard, a four block
radius surrounding the school.

OUSD officials said they were hesitant to communicate with parents, so
instead sent out e-mails to all school district staff about what was
happening and reminding them that the school district's commitment was to
educate all students, documented or otherwise. The e-mail also advised staff
not to facilitate any immigration enforcement actions.

As word of the presence of ICE agents in the neighborhood spread, Oakland
Mayor Ron Dellums rushed over to Esperanza Elementary School, where a number
of parents and community members had gathered.

Addressing them, the Mayor called the situation the "the ugly side of
government."

He labeled the ICE actions "inappropriate and unnecessary" and reiterated
that children needed education, not harassment. "There should be no raids in
Oakland," he said.

"As a sanctuary city," Dellums said, "we're all in unison. We don't want
this type of intimidation. Immigrants are human beings, and need to be dealt
with respect."

Oakland Vice Mayor Larry Reid, who also showed up at the school, said there
was no warning about the ICE raids. "ICE just rolls in and tells our police
department after the fact," he said. "The students are upset and crying. The
school's administration said some of the kids are very shook up."

ICE spokeswoman Virginia Kice said that the agency is mindful of the
sensitivities associated with schools. She said there was no truth to the
reports that ICE was targeting schools on this day, and that the two ICE
fugitive operations teams based in the Bay Area go out virtually ever day
seeking immigrant fugitives.

She confirmed that on the morning of May 6, ICE officers arrested four
immigration violators who were from Mexico, and were living at a residence
in Berkeley. A fifth person was arrested at a residence in Oakland, she
said, noting that all five have been released, pending immigration hearings.

Sara Nuno of the Family and Community Office of the OUSD dismissed ICE's
assertion that there was no targeting of any schools. "They are targeting
schools and we are watching them do it," she asserted.

Ellen Murry, who had come to the school to pick up her grandnephew, said
that she believed these types of government actions hurt all students, not
just the undocumented ones. She said that if students stayed away from
school out of fear, it could impact the school district's income, the bulk
of which comes from student attendance.

Troy Flint, communications officer of OUSD, pointed out that such raids
distracted students who were taking the state standardized test. He assured
students that the OUSD would do everything it could to allow them to finish
taking the tests.

Parents and local groups, including the Alameda Labor Council, sent out more
than 900 e-mails letting parents know of what was taking place.

One parent liaison, who helped to make phone calls throughout the day to
concerned parents, said he thought the fear of deportation was serious. If
parents sought his advice, he said, he would tell them to keep their chidren
at home, even though the OUSD has assured them that the students would be
protected.
*NAM reporter Pete Micek contributed to this report.*