On December 11, following a string of Detroit high school students kidnapped by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), teachers in the Detroit Federation of Teachers (DFT) unanimously passed a resolution calling for their release and directing the union and school system to provide greater support for migrant students.

In the last few weeks, ICE has kidnapped at least five Detroit youths along with some of their family members. Within hours of being snatched, three students were on planes to detention centers in Texas, and a fourth was shipped to northern Michigan. In some cases, ICE wasn’t even looking for them — agents simply kicked down their door and, when they didn’t find who they wanted, took whoever happened to be there instead.

The resolution has three concrete points, directing DFT to:

1. Request our four DPSCD students, Mor, Santiago, Kerly, and Antony be released from ICE custody and returned home immediately.
2. Call on our new mayor elect Mary Sheffield to reiterate that as a welcoming city, Detroit Police Department should not cooperate with ICE and Border Patrol. We have seen this done successfully by the Minneapolis, Chicago and New York City mayors.
3. Provide training [with the DPSCD] for all schools on how to help migrant kids and families avoid getting picked up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement at home or in public – going beyond the district’s guidance limited to keeping ICE out of schools.

Importantly, push to bring the union into the fight against ICE came from rank-and-file organizing by teachers in the DFT. They were supported by the Asamblea Popular Detroit and MIStudentsDream to protect and get justice for students and family members targeted by ICE. Teachers and students organized a press conference outside Western International High School within days of the kidnappings. They followed up with a rally at the School Board meeting a week later, where teachers and students spoke out about the kidnappings and the fear they have stoked in the community.

Detroit Needs to Organize a Fight Against ICE

While the School Board agreed to write a public letter to ICE, the teachers’ demands for concrete policy changes went ignored. Likewise, over a week later, the DFT leadership has made no public efforts to follow up on the resolution, not even releasing the required statement demanding the students be freed. However, Detroit’s youth and their families need more than strongly worded letters.

While the union and the school board don’t have direct power over ICE, bringing these public bodies more concretely into the fight could mean activating much larger swaths of the community that look to them for guidance. Especially if, as the third point in the resolution calls for, DFT and DPSCD support extends beyond the school walls.

Passing the resolution was an important advance won by bottom-up organizing by teachers, students, and their community, including a strong public awareness campaign about what happened to these kids. The media blitz and public outcry led by the teachers made sure enough people knew about what was happening that DFT and the School Board felt they had to respond.

Now, moving from a resolution to action will be another fight. The third point of the resolution directly impacts teachers, students, and their families. It raises the expectations people will have for the union and the district, which means more people will be activated and asking questions.

It’s easier for the union leadership to simply let the resolution quietly slip away. Therefore, teachers, students, and the community will once again have to take matters into their own hands to enforce the resolution. That means making sure everyone learns about the resolution and asks what the union is doing about it. For example, copies should be posted in every school and should be sent home with kids to inform families. In addition, a town hall with teachers and the community could provide a forum to talk about experiences with ICE and strategies to better protect the DPSCD community.

While the Board and DFT drag their feet, ICE is continuing to imperil our neighbors and youth. Just like with exposing recent kidnappings, teachers and the community can better organize their fight — and pressure institutions — when more people know what’s happening. Each time ICE kidnaps someone from our streets, no matter who, the whole city should know about it. Each time ICE attacks someone, they must pay a political price. Don’t let our neighbors go quietly in the dark.

The post Detroit Teachers Push Union and School Board to Fight ICE appeared first on Left Voice.

From Left Voice via This RSS Feed.