Immigrant Workers - Confront the Lies

https://youtu.be/4u_HwUn4bYQ?si=HGJCaGhmTdbNb2aE

I hope you’ll watch this week’s video to see Julie Su describe the abuses immigrant workers face on the job and break down what we must do to protect them from exploitation.

Robert Reich, 

Immigrant Defense and the Fight Against Fascism.

 Excellent article.

I am unable to repost for unknown reasons.  

https://open.substack.com/pub/liberationroad/p/immigrant-defense-is-the-frontline?\

Assault : masked men taking Santa Ana father after repeatedly hitting him

SCUSD is a Safe Haven district to protect immigrant children

March 7, 2017 or Alex Barrios: 916-752-3705

Sacramento City schools launch ‘Safe Haven’

campaign to protect undocumented students

Community leaders pledge support for the district’s efforts to inform every student

and their families of the legal rights of the undocumented by distributing tens of

thousands of ‘know your rights’ fliers at all schools, coordinating with community

organizations to provide legal resources in classrooms, and covering all campuses

with banners and lawn signs promoting inclusion and welcoming all students.

SACRAMENTO, CA—The Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD) today announced the launch

of a campaign to protect its undocumented students and staff amid growing fears of deportation in

immigrant communities. The campaign is the first of its kind in California and is the next step in

SCUSD’s national leadership on protecting and standing up for undocumented students and their

families. District leaders were joined today by State Assemblymember Jim Cooper, County Supervisor

Patrick Kennedy, City Councilmember Eric Guerra and dozens of students, teachers and community

members.

“Our Safe Haven policy was the first step we took to protect our kids,” said SCUSD Vice President

Jessie Ryan. “Today, we are taking an even bigger step by launching a full campaign to make sure

every undocumented student and parent in our school district knows their rights if approached by

immigration officials.”

In December, SCUSD approved Resolution 2915 which directed Superintendent José Banda to support

the creation of a Safe Haven district that included compliance with a 2011 federal policy that

immigration enforcement officials could not enter district campuses or facilities without prior written

approval from the Superintendent. The resolution also restricts the sharing of student files that can

be used to determine a student’s immigration status.

The district became one of the first districts in the state to adopt a Safe Haven policy, which has since

been described by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson as a model for the rest

of California. “This resolution sent a strong message up and down the state that if federal

immigration officials try to come on to our schools or use our data to target undocumented students

and their families, we will take proactive measures to protect them,” said Ryan.With today’s announcement, SCUSD is taking further steps to ensure that undocumented students,

staff and families are aware of their rights and feel welcome and included. The district announced it

will distribute tens of thousands of “know your rights” cards in multiple languages to all students and

will assist in coordinating immigration attorneys and providers of other resources to help these

individuals at school sites. District officials also want to reinforce a message that all students are

welcome. The district will begin hanging up multi-colored banners and lawn signs at every school site

with the message: “Safe Haven: ALL students are welcome”. It will also be running a series of ads and

promotional videos on social media to underscore the contributions of undocumented students and

families in the community. Parents, teachers and community members will be encouraged to join the

campaign by signing pledge cards in support of the Safe Haven effort.

“Our campaign is going to reinforce one common theme—that ALL students are welcome at our

schools and that undocumented students play a valuable role in the everyday life of our campuses,

and that they are a part of the fabric of our district,” said SCUSD Superintendent José Banda.

According to Banda, the district will leverage all of its resources and community connections to help

and protect its students.

For SCUSD Board Member Mai Vang, the Safe Haven campaign is very personal. “My parents came to

this country decades ago as refugees,” said Vang, whose parents attended SCUSD schools. “Like

many of the immigrant families that we are seeking to protect today, my parents came here fleeing

an unsafe environment, in need of opportunities that were not possible in their home land. They did

not let hateful rhetoric or people push them out.”

SCUSD is one of the most diverse school districts in the country. As many as one in five of its students

and families could be affected by federal immigration policies. The district has:

• More than 43,000 students

• 48 different spoken languages that include Spanish, Hmong, Armenian, Korean, Tagalog,

Cantonese, Arabic, Vietnamese and Russian

• 64% qualify for free or reduced lunch

• 17,104 are of Latino descent

• 34,896 are students of color

• In 2015-16, nearly one-third of students were English language learners or non-native

speakers

For more information visit www.scusd.edu/safe-haven-district.

# # #

Keeping the Dream Alive

·      Students participate in a panel discussion during the "Keeping the Dream Alive" gathering in the University Union Ballroom on Dec. 3. (Sacramento State)

Hundreds of educators and allies of so-called Dreamers filled the University Union Ballroom at Sacramento State for the third annual “Keeping the Dream Alive” conference, where personal stories of hope provided inspiration for those looking to improve the college experience for undocumented students. 

The Dec. 3-4 conference highlighted best practices to promote success, remove barriers and reduce fear for students laboring under ongoing uncertainty about the future of DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) and the program’s protection for Dreamers, whose status remains at risk.

“ 'Keeping the Dream Alive’ is about moving forward ... education in the K-12, community college and higher-education system (for students) who are seeking to advance their lives, become educated, and contribute to society,” said Viridiana Diaz, assistant vice president of strategic diversity initiatives.

The conference provided an opportunity to share knowledge, expertise and emerging practices on topics from supporting resource centers and safe spaces for undocumented high school students to maximizing funding for college and finding legal solutions.

This year’s theme, “Rising Beyond the Unimaginable: Visionary Approaches to Promoting Success Among Undocumented and Mixed-Status Students,” has special significance in the current national political climate, University President Robert S. Nelsen said.

“With DACA still in limbo, our students continue to face uncertainty about their future," said Nelsen, a member of the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration. "Now more than ever, we have a responsibility to intensify our efforts and show them just how deeply we care and that we plan to support them despite the actions or inactions of our government.” 

Alma Valverde, a dream center coordinator at Santa Rosa Junior College, was among more than 300 participants seeking practical knowledge to share.

“I want to bring back a lot of ideas on how to increase student activism and awareness and intercampus collaboration and relations with the high schools,” said Valverde. “The variety of interests has stood out so far to me, so it’s not just supporting a section of students, it’s also how to develop allies.”

Amanda Staack, an undocumented-center advisor at Humboldt State University, also hopes to become an agent of change within the CSU.

“Scholars without Borders is a student-run center, so we’re looking to find ways to navigate and find resources on our campus, and also to institutionalize it and to make connections with other people and what they’re doing,” she said.

Attendees heard stories about personal struggles related by speakers such as Aurora Chang, assistant professor and program chair in Higher Education at Loyola University’s School of Education.

Chang, once an undocumented immigrant from Guatemala, was reared in a family of eight in Richmond. She encouraged participants to “write the text you have always dreamed of reading,” telling them “our stories are our resistance.”

Author and inspirational speaker Reyna Grande echoed that advice, telling her story of entering the United States illegally and eventually becoming the first person in her family to graduate from college.

“One of the things I thought when I succeeded crossing the border after my third attempt, I thought there would be no more borders for me to cross," she said. "And then I realized that I came to a country that loves to put up borders for its immigrant populations, so I have been crossing borders ever since.” 

In 2015, the University opened its Dreamer Resource Center that provides academic and financial guidance, access to legal immigration services, and support for 500-800 students each year. For more information, visit the Dreamer Resource Center website. - Anita Fitzhugh

-->CSU Media Services

Los Angeles, Sacramento School Districts Declare Themselves Safe Zones for Immigrant Children

Sacramento Bee: Sacramento City Unified School District trustees voted unanimously Thursday, Dec. 8,  to declare district schools “safe havens” that protect students against deportation and hate speech.

The resolution is a response to the “intolerant rhetoric made over the course of the 2016 presidential race” and reports of increased hate speech at district schools, according to the document.

The three-page resolution specifies that immigration officials cannot enter campuses without written permission of the superintendent and that the district will restrict sharing of student files that could help determine the legal status of students. It also calls for activities on all campuses to promote tolerance and urges investments in programs to promote the “values of a multicultural society.”


Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/education/article119948133.html#storylink=cpy

Los Angeles, the nation’s second-largest school system sent a message to President-elect Donald Trump: Los Angeles’ public schools will continue to be “safe zones” for students in the U.S. illegally.

The Los Angeles Board of Education voted to approve a resolution reaffirming L.A. Unified’s current policy, which directs school staff members not to allow federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents onto school campuses unless their visit has been approved by the superintendent and the district’s lawyers. Board members also seconded a policy that protects the immigration information and identities of students, family members and school staff.