Union del Barrio, a migrant advocacy group with branches in Southern California and New York City, has reportedly trained hundreds of teachers to effectively engage with federal immigration officers attempting to apprehend a student or parent near a school.
On Tuesday morning, the organization, including some teachers from various campuses in San Diego County, launched an informative initiative outside Lincoln High School. They distributed flyers to parents as they arrived to drop off their children.
“This initiative is fundamentally about showing support to the familias and students, making sure they know there’s a community supporting them, ensuring they feel welcome here and should continue attending school despite the potential threat of ICE at schools and drop-off points,” explained Erendira Ramirez, an educator and Union del Barrio member.
According to Ramirez, numerous teachers from different districts are prepared to implement coordinated safety protocols if Immigration and Customs Enforcement activities occur on or near school grounds.
When asked if she would physically try to prevent federal agents from arresting a student, she said, “It would depend on the situation.”
Ramirez mentioned that educators and community members have been engaging in “teacher patrols,” circling campuses before classes begin, an activity they have been undertaking since the commencement of the school year.
One such teacher, Marisol, dedicated part of her morning patrolling around Lincoln High School, situated roughly a ten-minute drive east of downtown San Diego.
“There are key factors to help identify ICE agents,” she said. “They tend to drive American-made SUVs.”
Marisol said they also look for vehicles with heavily-tinted windows.
“They are so tinted you can hardly see; You have to really come up close to better see in there,” she said. “They also travel with other units they might not have California exempt license plates, they might have no license plates.”
The teachers are in communication with each other and are trained to alert the others should they spot ICE agents during one of their patrols.
Union del Barrio says it will continue to coordinate patrols and educational campaigns on a consistent basis at schools throughout San Diego County.
According to Ramirez, San Diego Unified and other school districts are not officially involved in their efforts.
Almost all school districts in California have drawn up policies denying federal agents entry to their schools for immigration enforcement while also prohibiting access to student records.
