On the first day of President Donald J. Trump’s second term in office, in an attempt to change the U.S. immigration law and policy, President Trump issued several executive orders and proclamations. One was to begin deporting anyone who is not here in the US legally. The orders allow immigration officials to go to schools, hospitals, and churches to seek undocumented immigrants.
This change to the policy has not only affected big city areas like Los Angeles, Baltimore, Maryland, etc. It has also affected the state of Massachusetts, including Leominster.
A recent power outage at LHS had several students commenting “It’s ICE,” and it was clear it is on the minds of the student body.
Dr. Joshua Romano, Principal of Leominster High School, has shared his stance on the situation: “It is not our business to determine who is legally present and who is not, so we do not collect this information and would not be able to assist ICE or other agencies in determining that because we don’t have that information.”
He explained the school’s response is to follow FERPA, ( The Federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) which will prohibit the action of sharing any private information involving students without parental consent.
If there is said to be a warrant, any information won’t be disclosed until approval from the school district’s attorneys. Staff should direct any government agents toward the main office and notify an administrator, no matter what credentials they have.
President Trump had said that he would primarily focus on illegal immigrants with criminal records and would classify them as top priorities through the Trump administration.
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey spoke out on the issue just ahead of Monday’s inauguration: “The targeting of individuals who have lived peacefully here, working here, paying taxes here, raising their families here, is just something that I think is wrong and ill-advised.”
Heather Arroyo, an attorney with the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI), has spoken up about the situation saying: “There has not been a large-scale ICE raid in Massachusetts,”
Know your rights, be prepared for what is to come, and plan ahead of time.
Further information on how to prepare can be found at the National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC).
https://immigrantjustice.org/
