A step backward on immigration

I noticed many missing faces in my classes Thursday, Feb. 16. When I asked my students during first period where the rest of my class was, they told me, "Today is A Day Without Immigrants."

There is heightened concern among my students and their families as a result of our new President's policies on immigration. One of my Muslim students told me how relieved she was that her mother arrived back from Morocco days before President Trump signed an executive order to ban people from certain majority-Muslim countries from coming into the U.S. My Hispanic students have asked me for documentation from the school that includes their picture and personal information to prove residency and to show they are students attending a public high school.

A Day Without Immigrants was in protest of President Trump's administration and highlighted the need to, "expand policies that stop criminalizing communities of color," as stated by Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney.

As an educator, I was deeply saddened on My Day Without Immigrants. Our president's policies have faces attached to them, and these faces were missing from my classroom. My students are afraid and are calling out for help. We are living in "The Land of Plenty," and we are "A Nation of Immigrants;" yet, we still have not learned to share. As a nation, we have taken a step backward.

Because my students and their families need information regarding their rights, I contacted Maryam Judar, executive director and community lawyer from the Citizen Advocacy Center, regarding the deportation issue. Ms. Judar stresses the need for school policies that protect our students.

Gerri Songer

Hawthorn Woods