California teachers urge U.S. Senate to take decisive action on immigration

The Honorable Dianne Feinstein

United States Senate

331 Hart Senate Office Building

Washington, D.C. 20510

The Honorable Kamala Harris

United States Senate

112 Hart Senate Office Building

Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Senators Feinstein and Harris:

As classroom teachers and Teach Plus Policy Fellows, we are writing to express our grave concerns about our current immigration policies and the delays in reuniting children who have been separated from their parents. As Justin Minkel, a 2nd grade teacher from Arkansas, recently wrote:

These mothers, fathers, and children from Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and other nations are no less human than children and families we serve in our classrooms every day. When a young child is taken from a mother or father seeking political asylum, it feels exactly, the way it would feel if our own son or daughter were taken from us.

Teachers across these United States of America are entrusted with the care and education of children every single day. In our classrooms, students learn about being responsible citizens. They learn about the history of our country and the importance of human rights. How can we as citizens stand by and sanction this human rights tragedy?

We urge you to take decisive action to ensure reunification of all these families, to continue to promote immigration policies aligned with our country’s values, and to make certain all immigrant families seeing asylum and refuge in America are treated humanely.

Sincerely,

Ron Anaya

Middle School English Language Arts Teacher

Granite Oaks Middle School, Rocklin Unified

ronanaya@gmail.com

Julianne Beebe

High School English Teacher

Long Beach Polytechnic High School, Long Beach Unified

joolibb@gmail.com

Katherine Blackburn

5th Grade Teacher

Manzanita Community School, Oakland Unified