Marching through the streets of downtown Los Angeles, members of United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) rallied Saturday outside Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) headquarters, calling for stronger protections for students and families vulnerable to federal immigration enforcement.
“We will not back down,” speakers repeated throughout the rally, as educators, counselors, nurses and librarians demanded that LAUSD take additional steps to protect undocumented students and those impacted by deportation.
While the LAUSD board voted in June to reaffirm all district campuses as sanctuary spaces, union members say those measures don’t go far enough. UTLA is asking for concrete actions, including a virtual learning option for students who are too afraid to attend in person, expanded counseling services for students with detained or deported family members, and stricter restrictions on the presence of federal agents near school campuses.
“We demand that LAUSD prohibit any federal agent from coming within a two-block radius of any school,” one speaker said.
Educators who’ve witnessed the fallout of immigration enforcement firsthand shared personal experiences. Serena, a teacher at Miguel Contreras Learning Complex, said she’s already lost a student to deportation and worries more will follow.
“As I prepare to go back to school, I am grieved to think of more empty desks,” she said.
In response to Saturday’s march and rally, LAUSD issued a statement affirming its commitment to student safety.
“It is clear that Los Angeles Unified and our labor partners are united in our deep commitment to protect every student, including our immigrant children,” the statement read. “Together, we will continue to take every measure necessary to ensure that all children in Los Angeles are safe, supported, and educated — rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution. We will never abdicate our professional and moral responsibility. Every child in our care is protected. Every child’s rights are upheld.”
Lindsey Peña contributed to this report.
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