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MINNEAPOLIS – In Minneapolis, young Giancarlo is considered fortunate because he can still attend school.
Each morning, Giancarlo, along with his family, prepares to leave their apartment to catch the school bus. Despite his young age, Giancarlo’s brother dutifully puts on his backpack, even though his daycare attendance was discontinued due to safety concerns expressed by his mother.
While they wait for the bus behind a wrought-iron fence, Giancarlo’s mother leads her sons into the cover of a tree to say a prayer. During this time, she is constantly vigilant, watching the street for any signs of immigration officials.
Speaking in Spanish, she prays, “God, please keep my son safe when he’s away from home.” The Associated Press spoke with her, but she asked that her full name not be used.
For many families who have come to Minnesota from other countries, sending their children to school requires a leap of faith that federal immigration officers will not stop them. There are reports of children staying home from school.
The commitment to following the law and ensuring a safe community for all residents is a primary concern.
Schools, families, and community groups are working hard to help students get to school. For many parents, they see the risk of sending their kids to school as the only risk they are willing to take.
Giancarlo’s mother says, “I don’t feel safe when he goes to school. But he wants to be with his friends.”
School is a safe place for Giancarlo. He enjoys playing soccer at recess and learning to play the recorder. He looks forward to learning the flute next year, and he has many close friends.
But he is worried about his mother and brother being at home. He saves half of his school meals to share with them. He brings home pizza and hamburgers, which they used to eat at restaurants before they stopped leaving their house.
Sometimes, many of Giancarlo’s classmates are absent. “The teachers cry,” he said. “It’s sad.”
One immigrant mother has given up her job, and her husband has stopped working to avoid being detained. Their U.S.-born daughter is the only one who leaves the house, and she gets a ride to her private Christian school with another student’s parents.
She says, “It makes me nervous.” She requested not to be named because she is afraid of being targeted.
Absenteeism is going up in Twin Cities area schools.
This winter, more students are absent, and more families want online learning because immigration officers have been seen in school parking lots.
In St. Paul, more than 9,000 students were absent on January 14. This is over 25% of the 33,000 students in the district.
Kids have written letters to St. Paul Superintendent Stacie Stanley, asking her to provide online learning. She read a letter from an elementary school student: “I don’t feel safe coming to school because of ICE.”
When the school district offered a short-term online learning option, over 3,500 students enrolled within 90 minutes. Now, over 7,500 students are enrolled.
After school, about 20 teachers and a retired principal met at Valley View Elementary School, where Liam Conejo Ramos attends prekindergarten, to walk the children home. School leaders say that many students and their parents have been detained.
Rene Argueta, the school’s family liaison, says, “We live in a place where ICE is everywhere.” Argueta, who is an immigrant from El Salvador, organized the teachers to walk students home.
The day before, the group had met federal officers near the school. Argueta had to calm the teachers who were upset by this.
He told the group, “Your only goal is to bring the students home, no matter what you see. We don’t approach ICE. We don’t take out our phones.”
After handing out walkie-talkies, Argueta and two teachers met 12 kids in the hallway. Argueta took the hand of the youngest child, a boy in prekindergarten, and led the group outside.
Jenna Scott, a second-grade teacher, talked with a former student who is now in third grade. She tried to keep the conversation casual.
Scott told her, “I’m so excited to see your house.”
“Have you signed up for parent-teacher conference?”
The girl said, “No, miss. ICE.”
“I know. Tell your parents you can do it online this time.”
The third grader ran home. Scott said that the 10-minute walk is difficult. “You don’t want to scare the kids, but you also want them to walk quickly.”
Argueta says that the day before, as they were walking the students home, they heard cars honking as a warning that immigration agents were nearby. One young girl began to panic and ran toward Argueta.
She yelled, “ICE viene,” or “ICE is coming.”
He took her hand and kept walking. She asked if he was afraid.
He said no.
She asked if he had papers, if he was in the country legally. Argueta has a green card and permission to work, but he lied. He told her he did not, so she would not feel alone.
She relaxed and smiled.
He held her hand until they arrived at her home.
