LAUSD Votes To Prohibit Releasing Immigration Status On Students And Family
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — There were emotional comments inside the LAUSD boardroom Tuesday as members considered a resolution that was inspired by a 13-year-old girl and her family.
Fatima Avelica described what it was like to watch ICE agents take her dad into custody a few blocks from her school in February. The arrest was captured on cell phone video.
"It was very hard, having to see my dad in handcuffs," Avelica said.
The LAUSD board unanimously voted on the resolution that will prohibit any district personnel from providing confidential information about any student or student family member, including immigration status. The resolution calls on the district to refuse all voluntary information sharing with federal agents to the fullest extent of the law.
"Schools are institutions of learning not canopies of fear, it's really about students feeling safe in this environment," ACLU attorney Sylvia Torres-Guillen said.
Computer marketing analyst Omar Navarro, who supports the Trump Administration's immigration policies, does not support the resolution.
"What you're telling young kids at school is that you have to go around the law and break it and what kind of example are you setting for young kids at school," Navarro said.
Today ICE released a statement in response to the so-called sanctuary resolution which states in part: "Concerns about possible U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations occurring on school property are unfounded….."
The statement goes on to say ICE agents do not conduct enforcement actions around schools except under rare circumstances, such as an "imminent risk to human life."
Avelica says she supports the resolution for one simple reason:
"Hoping that no other kids get to go through this and no other family gets to suffer like we're doing."
