The largest teachers’ union in the U.S. is advocating for student strikes against ICE and is involved in fundraising related to anti-immigrant campaigns.
On Thursday, radio host Ari Hoffman discussed the National Education Association’s (NEA) efforts, which included an email titled “Holding ICE Accountable and Prioritizing the Safety of Students and Communities.” In this email, the NEA states that if action isn’t taken, ICE might extend its negative impact to other states.
They are urging supporters to reach out to Congress with a template letter demanding restrictions on ICE’s activities. There’s also a section on their website for people to sign up for NEA alerts and fundraising initiatives.
The NEA’s platform seems to insist that ICE should be completely excluded from communities. It’s a bit puzzling, really, why educational bodies feel they should intervene in issues that extend beyond school walls.
Additionally, the union paints a picture suggesting that ICE frequently enters schools and takes children away for deportation, although that does not appear to be happening widely. The claim is that ICE is attacking schools across the nation.
Students are organizing marches in protest, often with the support of teachers and administrators. For instance, there have been reports of students in Seattle engaging in vandalism while they walked out of class.
In a concerning incident, a girl was hit by an SUV during a school-organized protest in Nebraska. Her mother expressed her anger about the school’s involvement in the anti-ICE demonstration while her daughter was recuperating.
In Round Rock, Texas, a parent was upset to find out that the school was using official emails to encourage students to participate in anti-ICE protests.
Florida’s governor, Ron DeSantis, has pledged to take action against schools that allow or support these protests. He emphasized that children shouldn’t be used as political instruments, stating, “Education, not indoctrination.”
Similarly, Texas Governor Greg Abbott warned that teachers could face salary deductions if they permit students to leave school for anti-ICE activism.
