Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
Q&A
MOIA's guidance for NYC schools on ICE and sanctuary laws
1:26:43
ยท
165 sec
Council Member Rita Joseph inquires about MOIA's guidance and support for New York City public schools regarding ICE agents and sanctuary laws. Commissioner Manuel Castro and Deputy Commissioner Lorena Lucero discuss their efforts to coordinate with the school system and support immigrant families and children.
- MOIA has shared 'know your rights' materials with the Department of Education
- The Immigrant Rights Collaborative is working specifically with schools
- 11 training sessions are currently scheduled with the Department of Education
Rita Joseph
1:26:43
Thank you.
1:26:44
Good morning.
1:26:45
Good morning, everyone.
1:26:46
Thank you for being here, commissioner.
1:26:47
Good to see you.
1:26:49
So a couple of questions around schools, of course.
1:26:52
How is Moya providing guidance and support to help New York City public schools, including understanding their rights with ICE agents, understanding sanctuary laws in New York City, and ensuring schools have the resource needed to support and protect students who arrive throughout the school year.
1:27:06
I know we talked about, hey, kids, come to school, but they took that out of sensitive areas.
1:27:12
Schools are no longer that safe space for our young people and the parents going to school.
1:27:16
So what are we what are we doing?
1:27:18
What kind of guidance are you providing there?
Manuel Castro
1:27:20
Thank you council member Joseph for your questions and concerns for our students.
1:27:26
I believe I don't know.
1:27:27
I don't recall if I shared this at the last hearing, but the school's chancellor was the first person I spoke with the day after the elections to begin our immediate coordination with our school system and support our families and children.
1:27:45
Our deputy commissioner of programs will will talk more about specifics, but I do want to express concern about the impact this is all having on children and families and the fear of being separated.
1:28:01
And to that end, a couple of weeks ago I participated in a town hall and a school in the South Bronx to come and show my support to those immigrant families and spoke to my own experience as a migrant child and and my experience in the school system and how our schools and our teachers, my teachers were were the community and and the true refuge for me and my family during really difficult times.
1:28:31
And so that's sort of the kind of work that have been engaged with with our school systems, with our superintendents and principals.
1:28:37
I'll let a deputy commissioner talk about specifics.
Lorena Lucero
1:28:42
Thank you for the question.
1:28:44
So a couple of touch points.
1:28:46
One, the material that we've put out in regards to know your rights have has been shared with the Department of Education and we've we've we've worked with them on that.
1:28:55
Aside from that, in regards to the Immigrant Rights Collaborative, which is an expansion of our existing immigrant rights workshop program, is specifically working with schools.
Rita Joseph
1:29:06
How many have you conducted already?
Lorena Lucero
1:29:08
That's the number that I was trying to get to right now.
1:29:12
Conducted, let me I'll get back to you with
Rita Joseph
1:29:15
How long do I have to wait for that number?
1:29:16
Not six months.
1:29:17
I heard the chair said she waited six months on some answers.
1:29:20
I hope that's not my case.
Lorena Lucero
1:29:21
No council member.
1:29:22
What what I do wanna tell you is that we are planning a 19 in schools.
Rita Joseph
1:29:29
Okay.