Teachers and immigrant rights activists call for an end to immigrant child detention in El Paso

EL PASO, Texas - Feb. 12, 2019 - PRLog -- Teachers from across the country as well as Mexico will gather in El Paso, Texas this Sunday, February 17^TH, to participate in a day-long Teach-In For Freedom (https://www.teachersagainstchilddetention.org/teach-in). They are calling on the U.S. government to end the detention and criminalization of immigrant children and their families. The Teach-In, to be hosted by Teachers Against Child Detention (https://www.teachersagainstchilddetention.org/), will start at 8:45 AM on San Jacinto Plaza and run till 6:00 pm. The entire event will be live-streamed at; https://www.teachersagainstchilddetention.org/about-the-teach-in

Other speakers attending the Teach-In include John King, Secretary of Education during the Obama Administration, Rep Joe Moody, Texas House of Representatives, Randi Weingarten, President, American Federation of Teachers (AFT),  Alfonso Cepeda Salas, Secretary-General, Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de la Educación, Marisa Limón Garza, Deputy Director, HOPE Border Institute, and Linda Rivas, Director of Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center.

2018 National Teacher of the Year, Washington-based Mandy Manning, founded Teachers Against Child Detention in response to the fact that more than 10,000 innocent immigrant children are still being detained by the U.S Government.

"Teachers like me know first-hand the effect that detention can have on immigrant children once they return to school. I have found that children who experience the trauma of detention and separation from their parents live with a great deal of depression and anxiety. This manifests as extreme fatigue, crying, inability to focus, absenteeism, suicidal ideation and actual suicide attempts," she said. Manning said that teachers are mandated by U.S law to report suspected child abuse to responsible authorities.

"We chose El Paso for the location of the Teach-In for Freedom because this city has become the frontline for our government's unjust and cruel immigration policies which have devastating impacts on children," she said.

During the Teach-In, TACD aims to present facts and stories which will deepen understanding about immigration. They will also call for the government to protect immigrant children in strict compliance with the Flores decree. This means that immigrant children in U.S. custody should never be separated from their families, be held in the least restrictive settings possible, and be released to their sponsors within 20 days as required by Flores.

"Educators have a moral and professional responsibility to nurture, educate and protect children, especially innocent immigrant children fleeing abuse, violence and war," said National Education Association (NEA) President Lily Eskelsen García. "Children belong together with their loved ones, not in detention centers."

A growing number of organizations (https://www.teachersagainstchilddetention.org/partners) are partnering with TACD to host the Teach-In For Freedom including the Southern Poverty Law Center's Teaching Tolerance project, Texas State Teachers Association (TSTA/NEA), American Federation of Teachers, National Education Association, Ysleta Teachers Association, Indivisible, Hope Border Institute, United We Dream, El Paso Chapter, "Sonando Juntas" (Dreaming Together), Borderland Rainbow Center, Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center, the Texas Board of Education and Educators for Migrant Justice.

"The HOPE Border Institutes stands in solidarity with Teachers Against Child Detention and is honored to host them during their El Paso Teach-In. The detention of migrant children is abhorrent and unjust. At a minimum, all children in the custody of the US government regardless of the type of facility, should have access to a high quality education,"  said Deputy Director, Marisa Limón Garza.

"I am proud to join Teachers Against Child Detention, AFT members from around the country and our other allies at the Teach-In for Freedom because there is no force more powerful than a human shield of educators, parents, and other community members. Together we will listen, teach, share and fight to help restore the soul of our country," said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT).

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KEY INFORMATION

TACD Website

https://www.teachersagainstchilddetention.org/

Teach-in For Freedom

Sunday, February 17, 2019

9.00AM onwards

San Jacinto Plaza, 114 W Mills Ave, El Paso, TX 79901

Live-stream: https://www.teachersagainstchilddetention.org/about-the-teach-in

FOR INTERVIEWS OR TO ARRANGE TO SEND A CREW TO COVER THE TEACH-IN FOR FREEDOM

Contact:

Janinne Brunyee / janinne@sugarbirdmarketing.com

TACD Spokespeople:

MANDY MANNING

Mandy Manning teaches English to newly arrived refugee and immigrant students in the Newcomer Center at Joel E. Ferris High School in Spokane, Washington. She is the 2018 National Teacher of the Year. Manning has taught for the past 19 years, seven of which have been in her current role. She earned a Bachelor of Arts from Eastern Washington University, a Masters of Arts from West Texas A & M University, and a Masters of Fine Arts from Northwest Institute of Literary Arts. Manning is a National Board Certified Teacher.

IVONNE OROZCO

Ivonne Orozco is New Mexico's 2018 Teacher of the Year. She is also is one of the nearly 9,000 K-12 teachers protected by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Orozco, 26, teaches high school Spanish at the Public Academy for Performing Arts, a charter school in Albuquerque, N.M. She has used her platform as state teacher of the year to advocate for a bipartisan solution to restoring DACA protections.

ARLINDA VALENCIA

Arlinda Valencia is an El Paso, Texas retired Broadcast Journalism teacher of 32 years.  She is currently serving her 8th year as the President of the Ysleta Teachers Association representing 2300 employees of the Ysleta ISD.  She holds a Bachelor of Music, Masters of Arts and Technology certified. She is well known for her activism for public education and for educational justice both nationally and in our local community.