A science teacher at a secondary school in Florida is confronted with deportation after being held by American immigration and customs enforcement officers (ICE) in the midst of President Trump against illegal migrants.
The teacher, who has not been identified, works for the public schools in Miami-Dade and was held during a hearing of immigration after having lived in the United States since childhood, NBC Miami reported.
The educator is a deferred action for the recipient of the children's senior citizens (DACA).
Daca is a temporary program that slows down the deportation from immigrants without papers who came to the country before the age of 16.
The Public School District confirmed that it complies with all federal guidelines after the following on Thursday, that all employees are authorized to work on.
Karla Hernández-Mats, president of United Teachers or Dade Union, told the Miami New Times that the teacher “tried to do the right thing” by attending his immigration hearing sessions.
The situation shocked for both staff and students in the district, because it has a large population of immigrant students.
“It's really shocking for children, and I am sure they are talking about it with their parents and that has created an even larger level of fear for those population students,” said Hernández-Mats.
A science teacher at a secondary school in Florida is confronted with deportation after being held by American immigration and customs enforcement officials in the midst of President Trump's action against illegal migrants
The teacher, who has been living in the United States since his childhood, is a deferred action for receiver in children, who makes immigrants without papers possible who have been in the country for 16 years to work legally
The arrest comes after the Trump administration immigration agents were able to perform raids in places that were previously considered 'sensitive' and prohibitions, such as schools and churches
“Because they think, if it can happen to my teacher, it can happen to everyone in my family.”
Relevators in the Miami-Dade Public Schools system received a memo earlier this week that it was explained that the school district assessed recent changes in immigration halls'.
The memo said that the district is committed to maintaining a safe, hospitable and consistent educational and learning environments for all students and employees. '
Teachers were also reminded that student records are being protected under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, or Ferpa.
“The fear is real,” Luisa Santos, a Miami-Dade school board member, told the Miami Herald.
The arrest comes after the Trump administration began to enable immigration resources to perform raids in places that were previously considered 'sensitive' and prohibitions.
“Criminals will no longer be able to hide in American schools and churches to prevent arrest,” said a spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior Security in a statement, according to the Miami Herald.
The fear spread to the Miami-Dade area, which has a large immigrant population, after days of non-stop raids in South Florida, Miami New Times reported.
Last week, Gouverneur van Florida, Ron Desantis, met Local Enforcement officials together with residents struck by illegal immigration in the state and discussed the urgent need to help Trump's government in border enforcement
In Miami-Dade, one in four students in the 2023-2024 school year was considered an English-speaking student
The fear spread to the Miami-Dade area, which has a large immigrant population, after days of non-stop raids in South Florida
In Miami-Dade, one in four students in the 2023-2024 school year was considered an English-speaking student.
At least 25 schools within the district have more than 15 percent of students born outside the US, each of those who register in the school in the same year they arrived.
More than 20,000 students from other countries registered for the 2022-2023 school year in the district, according to Miami New Times.
Hernández-Mats said New Times that a handful of students does not appear to school because of the growing fear of their families to be detained by ice.
She added that the students not only miss education, but also essential meals, because schools in Miami-Dade offer free breakfast and lunch.
“When people are in fear and they are without papers, they quickly go underground,” she told the outlet.
'And when they go underground, this limits their access to resources. We know that there are families who don't even go to the mall and buy groceries because they are afraid to go out. '
She added that most students registered in the district 'don't even know that they have no papers'.
Principals in the Miami-Dade Public Schools system received a memo earlier this week that explained that the school district assessed “recent changes in immigration cases”
Karla Hernández-Mats, the President of United Teachers or Dade, said that children are on the spell about the recent deportations, adding: “They think, if it can happen to my teacher, it can happen to someone in my family” “”
'Everyone knows an immigrant, whether they are in your family or they are your neighbor. This is something that really influences all communities, “said Hernández-Mats.
“And so, you know, students talk about it, and this also creates a lot of fear of teachers, because our schools have always been shrines.”
The arrest has contributed to the growing concern about the entire state, because Trump promised to carry out 'the largest deportation program in American history' after his victory in November in the presidential election.
Last week, Governor of Florida Ron Desantis held a round table discussion with law enforcement officers and residents struck by illegal immigration in the state.
During discussions, Desantis spoke about the urgent need to adopt strong legislation to tackle the immigration crisis and to help Trump's administration with border enforcement.
About 13,000 students without papers in the 12th degree graduate high school in the state annually, according to the President's Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration.
In 2019, around 68,000 children without papers whose ages varied from 3-17 years were registered in public schools, according to the Migration Policy Institute.
Ice deported nearly 6,000 illegal migrants during the first two weeks of Trump, a senior civil servant of the White House told DailyMail.com.
The public school district has confirmed that they comply with all federal guidelines after the Thursday is recorded, and adds that all employees are authorized to work on
The arrest has also contributed to the growing concern about the entire state, because Trump promised to carry out 'the largest deportation program in American history' after his landslide victory in the presidential elections
Ice has deported nearly 6,000 illegal migrants since Trump took on, a high official of the White House told DailyMail.com
That is on average to around 370-400 deportations per day.
In the meantime, Hernández-Mats New Times said that the United teachers of Dade 'Know Your Rights' cards have sent to teachers, who they can then spread among students and families.
The cards contain information and instructions to respond if they are approached by ICE agents.
“We tell families that that is how they can prepare themselves, and that we are their allies and that we are deeply to give their children, because these are also our babies,” said Hernández-Mats.
“Just like in every terrible situation that has always emerged in the news, teachers come up and do what is good for children.”
