Teachers, community members ask Detroit district to update immigration sanctuary policy

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Dozens of community members asked the Detroit school district on Tuesday night to update its sanctuary policy and train all staff on how to interact with immigration enforcement. 

Speakers at the board meeting also asked the Detroit Public Schools Community District to protect students outside of school buildings and provide more transportation options for families with immigration concerns. Community members asked for in-school counseling for students at risk for immigration enforcement, referrals to legal services, and more resources for language acquisition classrooms.

Kristen Schoettle, an English language teacher at Western International High School, told the board DPSCD’s 2019  “Sanctuary District” policy needs to be updated.

“As we all know, a lot has changed since 2019,” she said. “We have to do more than simply say ICE isn’t allowed in school buildings.”

The concerns were raised as federal immigration agencies have ramped up enforcement, including arrests of parents and teens outside school buildings. Last week, a child care worker was dragged by federal agents from the Chicago center where she worked.

Though dozens showed up to address the districts’ policies around immigration concerns, the board asked for three representatives from the group to each speak for up to six minutes. 

Some speakers ignored the board’s request and made additional comments in support of protecting immigrant students and families. The board did not stop them from speaking.

Chair Corletta Vaughn offered pamphlets on immigration resources to those at the meeting.

“You are not alone and we are 100% in support of all of our students and families,” said Vaughn.

The district’s sanctuary policy requires the superintendent’s office and general counsel to sign off before staff allow immigration agents with warrants to enter school property or access student data. 

In January, Superintendent Nikolai Vitti said the district would begin training principals, assistant principals, guidance counselors, attendance agents, and security guards on the protocols. Community members want all staff to be included.

“We want to know who has been officially trained,” said Heidi West, a teacher at Academy of the Americas. “Do our secretaries and security guards know what to do if ICE is right outside or trying to get in?”

West said she and many other staff members feel unprepared and want training.

“This is the very least we should be doing to be proactive and make sure everyone is protected,” she said.

Schoettle said other public school districts, including in Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles, have mandatory training for all staff, regular “Know Your Rights” presentations and in-school counseling.

Schoettle told Chalkbeat that better communication with bilingual families is needed in the district. A robo call sent out by the district last month intended to quell rumors about immigration actions in the community caused “chaos,” she said.

Schoettle said the call only went out in English and it was misinterpreted by families, creating confusion and fear. The next day, about 15% of her class was absent, she said.

Frank Espinosa, another teacher at Western International, asked the board to provide better transportation for undocumented students and families with mixed immigration status.

As the district explores ways to use additional state funding to get kids to school, Schoettle said DPSCD should invest in more ride shares for families with immigration fears.

“There are undocumented parents who risk their safety every day to take their kids to school,” she said.

Vitti responded to the speakers’ concerns Tuesday night, saying any changes to the sanctuary policy would have to be made by the board, adding he would assist them administratively.

No members of the board responded to the speakers’ concerns after the public comment.

The school system has enrolled more newcomers and English learners in recent years. Last school year, there were more than 7,400 English learners, which represented 15% of the district’s students.

Earlier this year, the Trump administration ended a policy that deemed schools and day cares “sensitive locations” protected from immigration enforcement. 

The administration’s immigration enforcement policies and increased arrests have impacted Detroit families, prompting fear in neighborhoods and schools for months.

In June, hundreds gathered at a board meeting to ask school leaders to decry the immigration arrest of DPSCD student Maykol Bogoya-Duarte, an undocumented teen from Colombia. After hours of public comment, the board reversed course and made a statement asking for Maykol’s release.

Days later, he was deported.

At October’s DPSCD board meeting, Vitti responded to several people who asked the district to provide “Know Your Rights” immigration enforcement training for students.

“I’ve certainly heard today the need for training and information sessions for our families that are fearful of ICE,” he said during the meeting. “I’ll work with the team and legal counsel to determine what exactly we can and can’t do, but obviously, as a district, we want to do everything we can in support of our students and our families.”

Vitti added that the district has never been contacted by ICE or given information to the agency.

Hannah Dellinger covers Detroit schools for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.

BridgeDetroit reporter Micah Walker contributed to this story.