As the school year starts back up, officials in Pasadena are letting community members know that educational facilities are safe spaces for students and parents regardless of immigration status.
Administrators and government officials gathered Sunday – the day before the first day of class – to ease concerns for the families of the district’s nearly 14,000 students, especially immigrant families.
“We realize, at this time, some of our parents have to live in caution,” Pasadena Unified School District Superintendent Elizabeth J. Blanco. “To those families, we are sending you a strong message today: We see you, we support you and we are here for you.”
Members of local and state government shared the same sentiment on Sunday and condemned the immigration raids that cause fear in the community.
“We are going to protect our children at every one of these schools,” said Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo.
“Enough is enough,” said Rep. Judy Chu (D-Monterey Park). “We must stop Trump’s brutal deportation machine.”
Blanco said that there has been no immigration enforcement activity on a PUSD campus, but raids have occurred close to schools in the area. The district does not collect or share information surrounding immigration status to government officials, and teachers are trained in lawful response to authorities in addition to helping affected students.
“To our students…you’re the heart of what we do every day,” Blanco said. “Every child deserves safety, dignity and a true sense of belonging.”
On Monday, KTLA 5’s Ellina Abovian spoke with students and parents outside Allendale Elementary School, one of five area schools which is enrolling more students this semester due to schools being burned down by the Eaton Fire. One mother noted that the community has rallied around the “collective grief” of both the fire and the immigration raids taking place across greater Los Angeles.
“Yeah, it’s been tough,” said Megan Gamble. “But there’s collective love because of the collective grief.”
A third-grader coming to the first day of school with her father is still processing the loss of her house in the devastating January wildfire.
“We were in our house, then I didn’t know [anything], so we had to pack up and we went to another house,” Alaia Gutierrez said, simply nodding when asked whether her house was gone when she went back.
PUSD is offering mental and emotional health services for any school community member who may be struggling as the school year begins. Further resources for SoCal residents are available at this link.
More information for students, families and community members can be found here.
KTLA coverage of Sunday’s press conference can be viewed in the video player below.
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