Elementary students speak of watching their parents dragged off by federal agents as their parents arrive to pick them up from school. The youngsters are left abandoned as their parents are led off in handcuffs. Such disturbing facts reveal the impact on the schoolchildren of federal immigration raids that have taken place on school grounds.
To help stop the trauma and protect students — the majority of whom are themselves American citizens — CTA is seeking legislative approval for AB 132, a CTA-sponsored measure by Assembly Member Tony Mendoza (D-Van Nuys). Mendoza, a former teacher and CTA member, has authored the bill to put into express state policy that immigration raids should not disrupt classroom instruction except as necessary to protect public safety.
I'll admit that I haven't read the law myself, but will assume that the law states something akin to what California Educator stated above. Since federal agents would not be bound by this state law, is this really anything more than racial grandstanding by CTA and Señor Mendoza? How much of my dues money is CTA spending "supporting" the passage of this law?
Who is really at fault when immigration agents "drag off" parents in handcuffs? Is it the agents who are enforcing the law, or is it the parents who broke the law?
I know what let's do. Let's write a similar law. Whenever DEA agents bust into a drug house, and they find children present, they must put down their firearms and politely ask the adults to stop manufacturing illicit materials. Since children must not see their parents being "dragged off" in handcuffs, the agents must request that the adults accompany them to unmarked cars, where they will be taken to "dinner".
In that situation, whose fault is it that the kids might see their parents "dragged off" in handcuffs--the DEA agents, or the drug-peddling parents?
If you don't want your kids to see you in handcuffs, don't break the law. Why that is such a difficult concept for some escapes me.
Raids happen in places agents have a good suspicion laws are being broken.
ReplyDeleteThat is all.
So, I agree with you. I'm not getting where schools need to know all the vaccinations the kids get, the children's fears and number of siblings... (all kinds of weird stuff on those forms!!) but they don't ask immigration status? They don't ask for tax receipts for the previous TWO years like I have to show to get my car registered?
I mean, a child's education is more important than my car registration, surely. Why the big ID/ check the taxes thing at the DMV and not my local school?
Not getting it.
Ha! I love your analogy.
ReplyDeleteMy question is can the CTA cite any such raids? To be honest, unless they can cite examples of raids that took place on school grounds and that dragged parents off in view of their children, this looks like a solution in search of a nonexistent problem.
ReplyDeleteThere is an idea called tact, and I think the issue is it's something that shouldn't be legislated but should be expected. That kind of raid at school should be legal, and if necessary absolutely used, but if it could be avoided I see no reason not to. Just as if someone were to raid a drug house with children present I think it would be more appropriate to put the kids in another room rather than have them watch if the safety of the officers permits. It's not something that should be legislated, but I still think it's something that we should expect from our law enforcement officers at any level.
ReplyDeleteRonnie, I'm glad we can agree on this.
ReplyDeleteConsidering that this flu outbreak which is rising to a bigger wave this week, originated in Mexico, doesn't anyone see how having porous borders and a population that isn't expected to adhere to even minimum standards of hygiene could create this problem? The baby that died in Houston was "visiting relatives" in Brownville, then careflighted to Houston. I wonder who will end up paying that bill? It's sad the child has died, but it's sadder that hundreds of undetected illegals will spread this disease further into the American population.
ReplyDelete