Undocumented children will be protected in Sacramento city schools under a program. That program includes a pledge to guide families, who now live with the fear of deportation under new federal policies.
Sacramento City Unified School District's "Safe Haven" campaign not only follows a 6-year-old federal policy that severely limits when Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents can take kids from school, but it also includes materials that let people know their legal rights.
Student, parents and teachers are receiving instruction cards, including one titled "What To Do If ICE Comes To Your Door."
Photo by Ryan Harris, KFBK
15-year-old Felix Lopez was born in the United States. He says he knows a lot of people, including all the relatives he has lived with since his dad died and his mom left, who he says should not have to live in fear. "We're all human beings. It doesn't matter our race," a emotionally distraught Lopez said. "People come here because they say it's a free country, and now I'm scared because of what the president is saying."
Photo by Ryan Harris, KFBK
School district officials say they're doing this because families have come to them asking for help, and because missing school for fear they'll be deported hurts kids now and in the future.
Photo by Ryan Harris, KFBK
The materials the school district has for immigrant families will be printed in five languages, but officials say they expect students to be the first line of communication with their families.