Post submitted by Whole Child Blogger Ashley Magnifico
The debate rages on over Arizona Senate Bill 1070, which passed this April as the Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act and is scheduled to go into effect tomorrow, July 29, barring any federal injunctions.
This state law holds the police responsible for making “a reasonable attempt … to determine the immigration status” of persons involved in “any lawful contact made by a law enforcement official or agency.” Further, “a law enforcement officer, without a warrant, may arrest a person” and transfer him or her to federal custody “if the officer has probable cause to believe that the person has committed any public offense that makes the person removable from the United States.”
The intense controversy that has sprung up over SB 1070 has led many politicians, writers, and grassroots organizers to sound off loudly and often about immigration issues. However, many fail to mention the children of immigrants, who make up perhaps the largest group of stakeholders so routinely ignored in the debate.
According to a 2009 study by the Pew Hispanic Center, out of 5.5 million children of illegal immigrants, almost three-quarters were born in the United States. As American citizens, they have the same legal rights and protections as any other children. No one is as implicated in ensuring these rights as the public education system. But creating a learning environment where each child feels safe and supported can be quite a challenge amid the turmoil of immigrant deportations and raids.
A tearful 10-year old Catherine Figueroa testified at a congressional hearing in early June, saying,
Last year, both my parents were jailed for three long months. … It was very hard for me every time when I went to school. I kept thinking that maybe I would see my parents when they got back home. I would also have bad dreams where the deputies would take my aunt, her family and me to jail. I am still afraid of the deputies. … Please help us. Children don’t know what to do without their parents.
A study published by the Urban Institute in February shows that Catherine’s experience is typical for a child of detained immigrants. Participants of all ages and from several different regions demonstrated changes in eating and sleeping patterns, as well as symptoms of fearful, angry, and withdrawn behavior. For many children, these behaviors lingered from the short term (recorded at two months following parental arrests) to the long term (nine months after arrests).
Catherine’s willingness to speak out against “the laws that are separating us from our parents” is also increasingly common among her peers. Kids from across the country are participating in civil disobedience prep classes, planning solidarity marches, even writing protest songs and demonstrating outside the White House.
The issue of American immigration reform is as old as this country itself and will surely last well into the future. But the increasing chaos, instability, and fear in the lives of children of immigrants is a tragedy that must be addressed today. Opinions on SB 1070 and other reform efforts may vary, but the thousands of students making their voices heard on this issue are an inspiration to us all.
For resources on student voice and student rights, visit Democratic Education on ASCD.org. Also, be sure to share your own ideas and experiences at the Democratic Education group on ASCD EDge.
