Intensified Police Presence in D.C. Schools Negatively Impacts Children of Immigrants
In the heart of Washington, schools have reopened amidst a surge in law enforcement presence, bringing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents into normally quiet neighborhoods. This development has sparked fear and uncertainty among local families, particularly those with undocumented parents.
One such family is that of a 40-year-old mother from Guatemala, whose husband was detained at a Virginia detention center. The woman, whose name is not disclosed in the given information, has three children, all born in Washington, D.C. Her fear is palpable, as she contemplates returning to her home country due to her immigration status.
The older two children attend a local charter school, but the mother is too afraid to send them there. Her fear is not unfounded, as research has linked immigration raids near schools to lower academic outcomes for Latino students. In fact, another 1.5 million children in the United States are without legal permission themselves, according to the Pew Research Center.
Emma Leheny, an education attorney, stated that fear can be pervasive even if ICE agents don't enter a school. The effect of ICE encircling local schools or leaving the impression that they might, according to Leheny, is an immediate chill that extends beyond the school building into the neighborhood and the community.
This fear has taken a toll on children in some Washington communities. Some students have had parents swept up in the crackdown, which has led some children to drop out of school, according to the country's largest teachers' unions. In response, these unions have joined a lawsuit over the immigration crackdown.
Homeland Security officials maintain that ICE agents have not entered schools to make arrests. However, the fear stirred by arrests near campuses has been profound. The woman's three children now sleep in her bed and wake in the middle of the night crying. Without child care, and while she fears deportation, she cannot work.
This week, her husband arrived in Guatemala. The mother last saw him a month ago when he left to buy milk and diapers. Another Guatemalan immigrant living in the United States illegally, he is now thousands of miles away from his family.
The situation underscores the complexities and challenges faced by undocumented families in the United States. As the debate over immigration policy continues, the impact on families and communities cannot be ignored.
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