We Will Protect DACA Students from Deportation: Educators

Every year, over 65,000 undocumented students graduate from high schools across the United States. 

Immigration policies enacted by U.S. President Donald Trump have pushed educators to revise their rules regarding the protections of these students.

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The administration has, for months, been indiscriminately targeting undocumented persons regardless of age, gender or criminal background.

Now, students, especially those who have witnessed immigration raids, fear that they or their family members may be subjected to one.  Many have been experiencing heightened anxiety, which is disrupting their concentration and their studies.

“We have not seen this climate of fear that we are seeing now,” said Cesar Moreno Perez, Associate Director of the Human Rights and Community Relations Department of the American Federation of Teachers, during an immigrant student protection workshop.

During the address, Perez said out that all students — regardless of national origin or their parents’ national origin — have a right to public education under the law.

“It should not be a Democrat or Republican issue; it should be a human value issue,” he stressed.

Teacher Areli Zarate says that she has created a safe space for her students. One wall in her classroom sports a poster of a butterfly that says "Dreamers Welcome" — aimed at fostering a comfortable environment for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or undocumented students.

Zarate said that one of the more important things for any educator is to maintain an open environment in their classroom.

She shared that she has been transparent with her students about her own DACA status. She even fields questions them about how she learned about the DACA program and when she was approved by it. “I felt like I finally was someone,” Zarate told them.

She remembered one student asking if she paid taxes as a DACA recipient; she explained that she does, and is even required to pay more because she is not a citizen.

Zarate also said that she is not able to access any service that is funded by taxpayer money. Because of this, she encourages people to be an advocate and to vote in elections, especially those involving resolutions that protect immigrants.

Every year across the United States and its territories, more than 80,000 people become eligible for DACA status but are deterred from pursuing these protections because of uncertainty and the risk of deportation. Currently, there are at least 10 states calling for an to end DACA.

Alessandra Soler, Executive Director of American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona, is charged with explaining to undocumented immigrants their rights under the law, especially when it involves U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids or simply being stopped by the police.

Soler told the audience that while most of Arizona's SB 1070 has been dismantled, the “show me your papers” portion — considered the most threatening aspect — remains intact.

The SB 1070 law gives the police immigration powers and freedoms to determine the status of a detainee when “reasonable suspicion” points to the individual being undocumented.

The future of the DACA program remains uncertain, considering ICE has previously detained individuals at schools despite the protections.