CONYERS: Democrats Push Trump Administration to Protect the Education of Undocumented Children

WASHINGTON – Today, John Conyers (MI-13), Reps. Bobby Scott (VA-03),  Bennie Thompson (MS-02), and Zoe Lofgren (CA-19), the Ranking Members of the Committees on Education and the Workforce, Judiciary, Homeland Security, and Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security, respectively, sent a letter, below, to Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly asking them to remind public schools that they are still required to educate undocumented children, despite recent changes to immigration policies. Dean of the U.S. House of Representatives John Conyers, Jr. “We write to express concern that recent changes in immigration enforcement policies are creating fear, anxiety and confusion in immigrant communities around the country,” the Members wrote. “In this environment of trepidation, it is important that we do all we can to minimize the impact these policies have on public school attendance and student learning. One way to address this concern is to ensure that school enrollment and attendance practices do not chill school participation based on the students’ or their parent’s immigration status.” “To assuage increasing apprehensions, we request that the Department of Homeland Security issue a statement making clear that, in spite of other changes in enforcement policy, the sensitive locations policy remains in full effect, at schools and other localities,” the letter reads. “Fear of immigration enforcement actions cannot be allowed to create a hostile learning environment for our children.” In the Plyler v. Doe decision, the Supreme Court ruled that it was unconstitutional to deny any child, including an undocumented child, access to a public education.  A student’s immigration status was irrelevant to the student’s right to access a public elementary and secondary education.

Democrats Request Trump Administration to Protect the Education of Undocumented Children Letter 4-3-2017 by Beverly Tran on Scribd

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Top Judiciary, Foreign Affairs & Homeland Security Democrats Call Meeting With Homeland Security Secretary, Raise Concerns Over Immigration Executive Order

Washington, DC – House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI), House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Eliot Engel (D-NY), House Homeland Security Committee Ranking Member Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), and House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) today sent a letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly to raise concerns about President Donald Trump’s recent immigration executive order and urge for a joint meeting as soon as possible and in no event later than February 1.

TOP HOUSE JUDICIARY, FOREIGN AFFAIRS & HOMELAND SECURITY DEMOCRATS CALL FOR MEETING WITH HOMELAND SECURITY... by Beverly Tran on Scribd

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CONYERS and LOFGREN Statement on Nomination of Gen. John Kelly for Secretary of Homeland Security

WASHINGTON, D.C. – House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.), and Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), Ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security, issued the following statement today regarding President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of Marine Gen. John Kelly to lead the Department of Homeland Security:

Dean of the U.S. House
of Representatives
John Conyers, Jr.

“The Department of Homeland Security has a wide-array of responsibilities, from providing humanitarian relief for asylum-seekers to protecting our nation’s borders to assisting communities after natural disasters. The individual charged with leading this multi-faceted agency will face enormous challenges – including administration of the Department itself.

“While Marine General John Kelly apparently has little experience with immigration, President-elect Trump has used vitriolic rhetoric to describe immigrants, promised to deport millions, and bar Muslims from entering the country.

“Concerns have been raised that General Kelly’s appointment could contribute to a militarization of our nation’s immigration system. Immigrants are not the enemy. Rather, for generations, immigrants have flocked to our shores to build their dreams, and in turn they have grown our economy and enriched our country in numerous ways. I hope General Kelly understands this, and will take this opportunity to enforce immigration laws in a practical, humane way that makes sense for America – for our families, businesses and entrepreneurs, and our values as a nation.”

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