Under a new president making swift directives to mobilize campaign promises of mass deportation, immigrant communities — including our students and their families — are terrified, living day-to-day on high alert.
The district reports LAUSD has 23,543 newcomer students — students who arrived in the U.S. within the last three years. With no formal tracking, it’s hard to know how many of our students and their parents or family members are undocumented and at risk of deportation. The terror from the threat of immigration officials invading our school neighborhoods is a major disruption to learning and the well-being of our school communities.
In 2019 and again in 2023, UTLA members’ solidarity on immigration issues was reflected in our Common Good bargaining wins. As one of the largest educator unions in the country, we will continue the fight to protect the right to a free education for all students.