As seen on Elm St. near High St. Tuesday. Credit: Thomas Breen photo New Haven students and educators testified before the state legislature’s Judiciary Committee this week to advocate for a state law that would restrict ICE activity in schools, at a time when the city’s school district has seen a decline in multilingual learners’ enrollment for the first time in years. “I have people who are close to me who are scared to go outside, who are scared to go to school, and some have stopped going, and that sucks,” said one young New Havener named Jose. Jose was one of over two dozen students affiliated with Connecticut Students for a Dream (C4D) to testify before the committee on Monday in support of Senate Bill (S.B.) 91, a bill that would restrict Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity in schools, hospitals, social service providers, religious institutions, and certain government buildings. Over the course of an 11-hour public hearing, the students were joined by several New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) educators and Mayor Justin Elicker, among over 150 people who had signed up to speak. S.B. 91 would establish “protected areas” where local, state, and federal law enforcement officers would be restricted from detaining or arresting people, with certain exceptions. On the first day of President Donald Trump’s second term, the administration reversed a longtime ICE policy that had treated those areas as off limits. The “protected areas” would include schools (from preschools to universities), healthcare providers, places of worship, spaces designated for children (including after school programs, playgrounds, and school bus stops), social service providers (including domestic violence shelters, homeless shelters, and food banks), and buildings controlled by the state and/or municipalities. Temporary events such as disaster aid provision, funerals, weddings, and parades would also be considered “protected.” The bill carves out numerous exceptions. Law enforcement officers would still be able to carry out judicial warrants in those spaces. They would still be able to detain individuals convicted of certain crimes or identified as a “possible match” in the Terrorist Screening Database. There are further exceptions for national security threats, the “hot pursuit of an individual who poses a public safety threat,” and situations where harm to another person or the destruction of evidence is at risk. The bill states that violations of this policy would constitute a “breach of peace” Class B misdemeanor, which the state could choose to prosecute. In November, state lawmakers passed legislation limiting ICE’s ability to target people outside of courthouses, which have been a frequent focus of ICE activity in New Haven. Over the last year, the federal agency has detained numerous people before or after scheduled hearings at the 121 Elm St. state courthouse. Many of those individuals were accused, but not yet convicted, of a crime, and had shown up to court as they were legally required to. Even after that state law passed, an armed ICE agent in January ran into the Elm Street courthouse wearing a face mask, chasing after a man whom he ultimately arrested. The bill currently under consideration, S.B. 91, does not make explicit mention of courthouses, although state-run courthouses would appear to qualify as a “state facility.” Over the course of Monday’s public hearing, as well as in pre-submitted written testimony, community members spoke of how the fear of immigration enforcement has impacted all realms of life — particularly for undocumented immigrants, including in schools. In written testimony advocating for the passage of S.B. 91, Supt. Madeline Negrón wrote of the “chilling effect” of intensified immigration enforcement on NHPS families and students. “When the federal government signals that it can bypass the courts to conduct arrests in community spaces, it creates a profound chilling effect. Parents who are unsure of the legal nuances may choose what they perceive as the safest option: keeping their children home,” Negrón wrote. “In New Haven and other Connecticut municipalities, we have been concerned by a drop in enrollment by multilingual learners this year,” she added. While the school system does not inquire about the immigration status of students, many immigrant students come to the school system as multilingual learners, a population that had been steadily increasing for years. According to NHPS spokesperson Justin Harmon, the current school year has seen a decline in multilingual-learner enrollment from 24.14 percent to 23.57 percent of all NHPS students. “Taking into account that our overall enrollment is declining, that translates to about 340 fewer enrollments among [multilingual-learner] students,” wrote Harmon. “We have no explanation for this phenomenon, but [multilingual-learner] students had been increasing gradually as a proportion of students until this year, so one can make an inference that the current environment around immigration enforcement is likely to be a factor.” At the same time, according to Harmon, multilingual-learner students who remain enrolled in school have a higher average attendance than the student body as a whole. Students and educators attested anecdotally that fear of ICE has been keeping classmates home from school and other realms of life. Dulce, a student from New Haven, told the committee on Monday, “Las personas en mi comunidad ya casi no sale de casa y vive en la sombras, con miedo a ser deportada. Esta no se me hace justo, porque todos las personas tienen derecho salir con liberdad a las calles.” C4D’s Senior New Haven Organizer Yenimar Cortes translated: “The people in my community hardly leave their homes anymore and live in the shadows, afraid of being deported. It doesn’t seem fair to me because everyone has the right to walk freely in the streets without fear.” Gateway Community College student Valentina Diaz said that “some of our [C4D] members have stopped coming to our meetings, or even coming to the Capitol, because they are afraid that one wrong movement could cost them their freedom.” In written testimony, New Haven Federation of Teachers President Leslie Blatteau wrote, “We have seen it ourselves in New Haven and throughout our state: Students’ parents are increasingly reluctant to send their children to school, young learners are reporting their parents are afraid and need support, and students’ and families’ uncertainty and anxiety are impacting how they show up (or don’t show up) to school. It doesn’t have to be thisway.” Mayor Elicker agreed in his own testimony before the committee in support of S.B. 91. “This strengthens our communities – when our residents seek medical care, when they engage in religious and civic activity, receive disaster or emergency response relief and social services, and when our kids attend school without fear,” he said. “Our residents should not have to think twice about accessing these resources, and protecting these areas from enforcement without a judicial warrant is essential to ensuring safe and healthy communities.” Fair Haven Alder Magda Natal, who teaches at Wilbur Cross High School’s International Academy, said that the program has seen declining enrollment. “The fear that ICE could show up here, or at the Fair Haven clinic, and take away people’s rights to get their education and go get medical help is terrifying. People are watching it happen in real time around the country,” said Natal, who had submitted written testimony in support of the bill. “I think the fear extends out in a way that they’ve been taught not to talk about it.” Even if federal agents decide to flout the law, Natal said, “to be passive, or to behave as if it can’t happen here, is worse than putting something in place that could possibly help.” The fear of ICE has also taken a toll on students’ mental health, according to the testifiers. “People shouldn’t be scared to live in their house,” said Jose. “Right now, people in my community are feeling very scared. It’s very inhumane. It feels like we’re being hunted, and people cannot live healthy, normal lives like this.” “When students are afraid that their parents might be detained during a morning drop-off, they cannot learn,” wrote Negrón, NHPS’s superintendent. Since July, ICE has detained and subsequently released two New Haven high school students. “I Want My Little Brother To Be Safe When He Gets Off The Bus” Dayanara reads aloud her testimony. One C4D member, Dayanara, focused her testimony on each of the family members whom she loves and wants to stay safe. Below is the full text of her testimony: I sometimes worry that the next person taken will be someone I love. I think about my brothers, the ones who are always there for me, the ones who make me laugh, and even the ones I sometimes find annoying. I think about my mom, the strong woman who works at her job and still takes care of her family every day. She is the one who takes care of me when I’m sick, cooks for us, and still finds energy to keep her home even when she’s tired. I think about my dad, the man who works six days a week and still feels like he should do more for us. He wakes up at 5 a.m. in the morning without complaining and he works hard every day so that we can have the opportunities that he never had. He couldn’t go to school when he was younger because of poverty. He has always done everything he can to give his children a better life. My family is everything to me, and that is why I’m here today. I know that everyone has someone that they loved deeply, someone who matters to them and who they want to protect. To me, that is my family. I want my little brother to be safe when he gets off the bus. I want my mom to feel safe when she goes grocery shopping. I want my other brother to be able to enjoy time with his friends at the park without fear. I want my dad to feel safe while he goes to work to support the family. I want us to live our daily lives without constantly worrying about what can happen. This is why I believe there should be a place where families are protected: schools, hospitals, church, and community spaces can be safe. Basically, places where people can go to learn, to heal, and to support one another without fear of being taken away. These are spaces that are meant to help community members feel stronger and they should remain safe for everyone. At the end of the day, what I want is simple. I want my family to be safe. I want my family to feel safe. And I want everyone to believe that they are protected in here. The post Anti-ICE Testimony Spotlights “Chilling Effect” In Schools appeared first on New Haven Independent. ...read more read less