Turning Fear into Action: Standing with Immigrant Families and Students in MA
Across the country and here in Massachusetts, many immigrant families are living in fear daily. Parents have been detained while dropping their children off at school, caregivers arrested by ICE at their jobs, and even a five-year-old child used as “bait” to lure her parents out of their home. For families of children with disabilities or complex medical needs, the fear runs even deeper as parents are forced to make impossible decisions about who will care for their children if they are detained or deported. These actions are inhumane and unjust. They undermine the rule of law, advancing racist and xenophobic goals to the detriment of us all.
Though there is much fear, we continue to see extraordinary acts of community solidarity and courage. Many immigrant youth are taking action despite fear for their own safety to protect their friends and school communities. High school students walked out of school to protest the detention of their classmate, Marcelo Gomez, and demanded that he be released. Hundreds of community members accompanied the parents of a teenager who were threatened with detention to their ICE check-in and celebrated as the parents left the office unscathed. Across communities, concerned neighbors have been walking children to school, so their parents who are fearful of family separation can keep them safe.
Psychologists and parents often tell children during times of crisis to "look for the helpers." Now more than ever, it is all of us — our state and local institutions, schools, advocates, clinicians, elected officials, and neighbors — who must become those helpers. Together, we have already made a difference.
This year, over 45 organizations and hundreds of constituents came together to pass the Protect Education Equity Law, a landmark victory safeguarding the education rights of undocumented and multilingual students with disabilities against attacks at the federal level. The law, signed by Governor Healey in August, ensures that students in Massachusetts cannot be denied their right to an education because of language or immigration status regardless of policy changes at the federal level. This is a testament to what we can achieve when we mobilize together in defense of every child’s right to learn, grow, and thrive.
Here’s how you can join us:
Make your voice heard: If you have school aged children, ask leadership at your children’s school what they are doing to support and protect immigrant students and families. If you don’t have young children, email your elected officials to share how these heightened federal attacks on immigrants are affecting your community.
Spread the word: Use our multilingual flyers, attached here to inform parents, educators, and more about the Protect Education Equity Law.
Training: If you are an educator or special education administrator interested in training on immigrant student parent rights in education including the Protect Education Equity law, please email eromero@massadvocates.org.
Monitoring: If you learn about schools failing to provide services, call MAC’s multilingual Helpline so we can help families and track systemic issues. Examples include:
Barriers to accessing education for immigrant students or students with disabilities
Schools failing to provide qualified interpreters for parents
Special education programs neglecting to integrate the language and special education needs of a student
MAC is committed to defending immigrant students and students with disabilities from federal attacks to their education rights. We will continue to stand with our immigrant families and communities and provide support through our Helpline, direct advocacy, and systemic advocacy at the local and statewide levels. Together, we can ensure that immigrant children and their families are supported and protected. Thank you for standing with MAC in this critical work and for affirming that every child deserves the chance to learn and thrive in safety and dignity.
Contact MAC with YOUR IDEAS for how to support immigrant children and families based on what you are seeing in your community. Please email Emily Romero Gonzalez, MAC’s Education Advocate at eromero@massadvocates.org.