NYC Schools Must Be A
Sanctuary
For Immigrant and All Students
The day after last November’s elections, a wave of fear
swept through the schools over the threat to undocumented immigrants. “Will I
be deported?” students asked teachers. School administrations and teachers
unions issued statements of support. But much more is needed. We need to
prepare now to defend our students and actively resist the threat of
deportations with action. The following resolution was raised at the December
UFT Delegates Assembly. While the Unity Caucus voted it down, we urge teachers everywhere
to take the initiative to form school-based committees to defend immigrant and
all students.
-------------------
Whereas, in his election campaign, Donald Trump
vowed to deport all 11 million undocumented immigrants, after the Obama
administration already deported more than 5.5 million immigrants in its first
seven years, and
Whereas, in
the wake of the election there has been an unprecedented upsurge in racist
attacks of all sorts, including at universities and in schools, as well as
taunting of immigrant students in New York City schools, and
Whereas,
Muslims, African Americans, Latinos and immigrants from Mexico, Central America
and the Near East have been singled for attacks, which also threaten Jewish,
gay and lesbian individuals and communities, and
Whereas,
immigrant communities have been swept by fear of deportation and all manner of
victimization, and
Whereas,
putative president-elect Trump has threatened to cut off funds to “sanctuary
cities” that refuse to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
police, while majorities in both houses of Congress have threatened to cut off
funding to “sanctuary campuses,” and
Whereas,
under the Constitution of the State of New York (Article XI), all children must
be provided free public schools and the Supreme Court has ruled that education
cannot be denied to students on the basis of immigration status, and
Whereas, 40%
of the population of the City of New
York are immigrants, and
Whereas,
under local laws and executive orders (Nos. 34 and 41) New York City employees,
including police, have long been instructed not to provide information on
individuals’ status to ICE and other immigration authorities except in limited
circumstances, and
Whereas,
Chancellor’s Regulation A-101 states that students are not required to present
documentation of immigration status, and that reference to such status shall
not appear on any school records, and
Whereas,
Mayor de Blasio has stated that the City of New York will not participate in
deportation proceedings and would not hand over information on immigration
status from the municipal ID cards to federal authorities, but
Whereas, a
judicial injunction has been issued to prevent NYC from destroying information
on immigration status from municipal data bases, therefore be it
Resolved,
that working people, immigrants and all oppressed sectors can only rely on our
own strength; and be it further
Resolved,
that our union issue a statement that we
will stand by our immigrant students, faculty and staff, as well as their
families, who are at risk of reprisal due to their status; and be it furthe
r
Resolved,
that the UFT call on the NYC Department
of Education to publicly restate that it does not collect information on
students’ immigration status, and that it will refuse to hand over to federal authorities and will immediately delete
any such information that may exist in school records; and be it further
Resolved,
that ICE police and immigration authorities
will not be allowed on school premises under any circumstances, and be it
further
Resolved,
that the United Federation of Teachers will seek to mobilize mass labor-immigrant action to defend those
threatened and to stop deportations and call on other unions and all
opponents of racism and defenders of democratic, minority and immigrants rights
to do likewise; and be it further
Resolved,
that a representative union-wide
committee be set up to monitor all
threats and indications of action by immigration authorities against
members of our community; and be it further
Resolved,
that the union take the initiative to
set up committees in every school including faculty, staff and parents, to
establish phone trees, social media networks and other measures for rapid
response and outreach; and be it further resolved
Resolved,
that if immigration authorities detain
any NYC school students or their families for deportation proceedings, such
school-based committees should
immediately call an ongoing assembly, including teachers, students, staff
and parents, to shut down the affected
school, and other schools in solidarity, and that the UFT shall mobilize mass action citywide in support of such protest
action.
[Presented by Marjorie Stamberg to the UFT Delegate Assembly
on December 20, 2016]
Class Struggle Education Workers (CSEW) is part of the fight for a revitalization and transformation of the labor movement into an instrument for the emancipation of the working class and the oppressed rather than, as it is at present, an instrument for the disciplining of labor in the interests of capital. See the CSEW program here.
Class Struggle Education Workers (CSEW) is part of the fight for a revitalization and transformation of the labor movement into an instrument for the emancipation of the working class and the oppressed rather than, as it is at present, an instrument for the disciplining of labor in the interests of capital. See the CSEW program here.