.png;w=960)
New York City education leaders on Wednesday passed a resolution stating that the city's public schools will protect all students, including migrant children as deportations began around the country.
The Panel for Educational Policy, a voting body overseeing the city's Department of Education, passed with unanimous consent the Resolution Affirming the Status of New York City Public Schools as a Welcoming Citywide District to All Students, which reaffirms that children will be protected as federal law enforcement authorities will be barred from school grounds.
The vote came a day after President Donald Trump reversed an earlier policy to now allow the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to enter "sensitive locations," including schools. The Department of Justice later announced that state and local officials would receive criminal charges for not cooperating with ICE.
The resolution was created by PEP Chair of Government Relations Naveed Hasan, himself an immigrant from Pakistan, who grew up in Midwood.
"We have a city that is largely first-generation or immigrant," Hasan said during the Wednesday night meeting. "Our federal immigration system is fundamentally broken. People can come, follow the law, do all the right things, and still not be documented as residents of New York City. This resolution represents the interest of more than those that came in the last two or three years. Making sure the families of students feel safe and comfortable is supremely important. We need to make sure that as a panel, we strongly put forth our support for them."
PEP Chairperson Gregory Faulkner said the passage of the resolution should reverberate nationwide. "We're the largest school system in the United States," he said. "I think when we make a statement, it sends a message that has ramifications."
"I am very grateful for the collaboration of entire Panel for Educational Policy on making this very timely and forceful statement," Hasan told BK Reader. "We intend to broadly distribute the PEP resolution to all schools. We hope that this provides confidence to parents to continue bringing their kids to school everyday, so they can learn and parents can work, and maintain their normal day-to-day life without fear."
As the PEP met, Mayor Eric Adams attended a town hall in Corona, Queens, an area that has a large immigrant population. He reassured those in attendance that ICE should only deport those who have committed violent crimes, while other immigrants should keep going about their daily lives.
"Children should go to school. Those who need health care should go to hospitals," the mayor said, according to ABC7 Eyewitness News. "We've maintained that over and over again. And we are going to stand up for all New Yorkers, documented, and undocumented."
Despite Adams' assurances, some doubted the mayor supported undocumented New Yorkers.
Hasan said he cannot forget when the mayor said the migrant crisis "will destroy" the city in September 2023. Brooklyn City Council Member Shahana Hanif, who is a member of the Council's Committee on Immigration, found the mayor's failure to condemn Trump's recent executive orders allowing for mass deportations "deeply troubling."
"It reflects a growing alignment with Trump," Hanif told BK Reader. "Mayor Adams is betraying the values that make New York City great."
City government employees are being told to "block non-local law enforcement from city facilities," according to an internal memo obtained by THE CITY.
While speaking at a legislative breakfast Friday morning, PEP member and Brooklynite Camille Casaretti emphasized how school communities need to work together during a worrisome time for many families.
"Our sanctuary city laws still exist and we stand by them," said Casaretti. "Our collective efforts to help fellow community members will make a difference. We all have a part to play and I hope you will do yours."
