LA schools vote to block immigration officers from campuses: report

The Hill (California) 

By Olivia Beavers

May 10, 2017

LA schools vote to block immigration officers from campuses: report 

The Los Angeles school board voted unanimously Tuesday to set up additional safeguards to protect families from federal immigration raids, according to a Los Angeles Times report.

Among the new set of policies, immigration officers will be prohibited from entering a campus without the authorization of the superintendent of the L.A. schools. The superintendent will also consult with local lawyers before giving an officer clearance.

Officers attempting to come onto the campus with a valid subpoena will also not be let in without clearance.

“L.A. Unified is basically saying fear stops at [our] door,” said Ref Rodriguez, a school board member who co-sponsored the resolution.

The Los Angeles school board oversees the second-largest school system in the country, and it has been publicly critical of President Trump’s calls for tougher policies on immigration.

The board also passed a resolution in February 2016 establishing mandatory training for staff, school-hosted workshops for families and the ability for the superintendent to intervene.

Monica Garcia, a board member who also voted for the measure, told the paper the new guidelines are nothing new but rather offer “greater detail” in clarifying the district’s position.

“These are commitments we have already made,” Garcia said.

An American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) representative for the district says this is a comprehensive resolution that can stand as a model for other states in the U.S.

“This is an important opportunity for [the Los Angeles Unified School District] to be a model for the state and for the nation,” Sylvia Torres-Guillén, director of education equity for ACLU of California, told the paper.

The school’s decision comes as the federal government cracks down on foreign nationals who are staying in the country illegally and steps up deportations.

The Trump administration has slammed sanctuary cities for shielding individuals from federal authorities’ actions.

For more information, go to:  www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com