Resources to Support Immigrant and Refugee Students (and colleagues and neighbors and family members and…)

The second executive action on immigration has created more uncertainty and fear, and students are in the thick of it. We’re hearing this loud and clear from our survey respondents. To that end, here are two resources for helping immigrant and refugee students.

Teaching Tolerance, one of our favorite sites, has a great resources now available: Immigrant and Refugee Children: A Guide for Educators and School Support Staff. There’s a wealth of information here, from information on being undocumented, FAQs about immigration raids, and some concrete suggestions for what educational communities can do.

What Educators, School Support Staff and Communities Can Do

• Issue a statement—in English and in other languages spoken at the school—articulating that the school supports immigrant students/parents and affirming publically that it is a welcoming site.
• Stress the importance of taking proactive steps to ensure the safety and well-being of children and entire communities.
• Distribute “know your rights” materials to students, families and communities about what to do if a raid occurs or an individual is detained.
• Identify a bilingual person at your school who can serve as the immigration resource advocate in your building or on your campus.
• Work with parents to develop a family immigration raid emergency plan.
• Provide a safe place for students to wait if a parent or sibling has been detained.
• Provide counseling for students who have had a family member detained by ICE.
• Work with your school board to pass a resolution affirming schools as welcoming places of learning for all students, distancing the schools from enforcement actions that separate families.

There’s much more at the link.

The ACLU has a thorough section–Know Your Rights–for all kinds of circumstances. Today, we’re highlighting their downloadable Fact Sheet for Families and School Staff: Limitations on DHS Immigration Enforcement Actions at Sensitive Locations. While things are unfortunately changing quickly, this is a good resource for knowing what the baseline has been in the past for enforcement actions in places like schools, at bus stops, and in hospitals.

Know of something we’re missing? Stick it in the comments or get in touch.