NORFOLK, Va. — President Donald Trump’s push for mass immigration reform now allows Immigration and Customs Enforcement in sensitive zones like churches and school.
Community advocates tells News 3, there are a lot of questions for concerned families.
“Immigrant kids are already facing enough traumas this is on top of all of that,” said Patricia Bracknell, founder of the Chamber for Hispanic Progress of Coastal Virginia.
Bracknell said this is a heavy time for a lot of families right now.
“Latino kids are experiencing a lot of hate crimes. It doesn’t matter their status but is generalized through the narrative that is being put out through the big government,” said Bracknell.
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She worries that things will get worse for immigrant children now that ICE is allowed in sensitive zones like churches and schools.
“What are the schools doing to protect the kids? What are the protocols? Are they going to open the doors so these children can be separated?” said Bracknell.
“These are children that we’re talking about,” said Kristin Clarens, an attorney with Legal Aid Justice Center in Charlottesville. “So, we really want to make sure that we’re making careful protective well considered decisions when the safety privacy and security of children are at risk.”
She tells News 3, schools have privacy protections in place and are required to keep student information private. She says schools are already working to enforce this policy, especially for the well-being of the kids.
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“[Students] especially young people who are in the schools trying to learn and not be scared about their immigration status, while they are studying and learning,“ said Clarens.
Her biggest advice for families right now, is to prepare for future risks.
“In order for families to understand where their risks exist and how to develop a plan that will help them minimize risk and plan for any sort of emergency,” said Clarens.
“It’s very important for them to stay connected to organizations like ours,” says Bracknell.
News 3 did reach out to the Virginia Department of Education, on if there are any guidelines for school districts following the recent change. In a statement from them a spokesperson said, “VDOE does not have any jurisdiction regarding immigration enforcement.”
News 3, has also reached out to Norfolk Public Schools to see what protocols are in place — they have yet to respond.
