Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) are coming to Wake County. Right now.
Education Justice Alliance (EJA) has never backed down from a fight for what’s right, and what’s right at this moment is protecting our communities that are being terrorized by the threat and presence of ICE and CBP. As we’ve seen across our country, and most recently just miles away in Charlotte, these violent attacks, rooted in hate, terrorize our communities and sow fear among immigrant families who deserve dignity and the freedom to live without harassment.
EJA rejects racial profiling and the criminalization of migration, and we denounce any collaboration between local agencies and ICE. Our county must not be complicit in a system designed to detain, deport, and disappear members of our community.
Right now, we are urging the decision-makers of the Wake County Public School System to act immediately and decisively to ensure the safety of immigrant students and their families. In a letter to the WCPSS superintendent, we’ve requested the establishment and public communication of a Safe Zone Plan. This list of requests includes…
Adopt and Implement a Districtwide Safe Zone Policy
- Staff will not ask students or families about their immigration status.
- Staff will not coordinate with ICE, CBP, or any federal immigration enforcement agencies
- Immigration agents will not be permitted to enter school buildings or property without a valid criminal judicial warrant for a person that is in their building
- Implement non-punitive responses to absences during periods of heightened immigration activity
School districts across the country, including Chicago, Los Angeles, and Denver, have passed Safe Zone or Sanctuary School resolutions and have successfully established protective protocols. Wake County can and must do the same.
This is our home, and we will not allow violence or fear to dictate who belongs here. We will continue to organize and show up until ALL PEOPLE can live freely, safely, and without fear of being attacked or suppressed.
