Along with the excitement that accompanies the start of school, parents and schoolchildren in Washington, DC, have something new to contend with this year: how to navigate a federal law enforcement surge and immigration crackdown in the nation’s capital.
At one middle school, where many students are minorities, parents and teachers took extra precautions by walking their students back and forth from Union Station, the city’s busy train station, as National Guard members patrolled nearby.
The parents, who held signs identifying themselves as guardians and escorts for students, were approached by police and warned not to “loiter” on the first morning of school, one of the parents involved said.
Another mom, who volunteered to be part of the system, brings her passport with her while she’s with the students even though she’s a US citizen. She asked that her name not be used amid safety and privacy concerns, and is “terrified” of the kids getting profiled or caught up in an enforcement action.
“It’s hard,” she told CNN. “I was crying because I was just like it’s a risk to go and protect my daughter and her classmates, but it’s also necessary to protect them.”
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