When immigration shows up at daycare: crackdown in DC terrifies families and workers | Washington DC

TOOn Tuesday morning, Parents received a message from the administrator to leave their young children in a bilingual child care center on the northwest Washington DC He says that unmarked cars are parked directly.

The manager, shortly after 8 am, said that federal agents in tactical vests were arrested not attached to the center.

“Although these activities are not linked to our program, we closely monitor the situation and take extra measures to enable everyone to enter and leave,” he said.

Fora Mehta, who participated in his daily care, said he was afraid of migrant raids for months, but Donald Trump climbed his fears when he sent national guard troops and federal agents to Washington two weeks ago. Although he was legally an immigrant in the country, he said he was worried about his own safety as a brown person and worried about his undocumented neighbors.

He and other Washington residents, including he and unquestioned parents and caregivers, said that they avoid some parts of the city where federal agents were reported, and their parents, who visited, “alone – even on the street, even on the street,” he said.

The decision of Trump’s second Trump administration by the mass fires of the state workers, Trump’s decision to take over the city’s police force, to send thousands of federal agents to Washington and to increase the sanction of immigration, left many residents on the sidelines and struggled in a city that no longer feels safe. On Monday, the return to school for most public schools was a sharp relief.

The White House said on Friday, 719 people have been arrested since the beginning of federal pressures and hundreds of immigrants in the country have been arrested without legal documents. On the ground, for non -documentary immigrants, patrolling the streets, establishing checkpoints at busy intersections, stopping delivery drivers and pedestrians, and immigrants detained in the workplace was similar to federal agents.

When the new school year starts, pressures affect parents and caregivers. Parents told Guardian that they were afraid of sending their children to school. The nanny wants to be accompanied by work and work. Daycareres has to apply new security measures.

Once Deported For many Washington, immigrant practices and arrests, schools and daytime feel no longer safe for employees and children.

Migration and Customs Protection (ICE) did not respond to Guardian’s request for comments. Last week, director Todd Lyons Told to NBC Washington parents do not expect to see ice officers in schools on the first day on Monday, but they can come to school campuses in the future.

“The resident of Washington, who lives near daily care, said Amie Santos,” people are afraid to be outside, “he said. “Nothing makes DC safer.”

FOr the potential targeting of people and institutions with many Washington and small children is particularly worrying. More than one person told Guardian that they are struggling with child care, because many people who work in nanny or child care centers are immigrants.

Claire, a mother who wants her to not use her real name because of fears about her nanny without document, said the caregiver had left work last week and worried about the reports of increasing police and arrests.

Claire said that there is a very heavy police, and all these stories have all these control points from other nanny and friends and acquaintances, ”Claire said. “He and her husband both said they stayed at home and did not get into the job.”

Claire gave him the week and he is trying to find options to make it more comfortable to return to work this week, including offering him to take him from his home.

Claire has a young child who has been in the country for almost thirty years, and said, “He is more concerned about being deported – he could have something to him and his husband – he asked him that we wouldn’t look at his child if he had.”

Other parents said that they took their children to the neighboring Maryland province to meet the nanny living there, or that they stayed inside instead of going out instead of going out, or staying inside after driving in the city instead of walking.

In a neighborhood parent group, on Tuesday, a mother shared a certificate template for parents to fill and give their children while accompanying their children around the city.

“In the incident [NANNY’S NAME] Migration and Customs Practice (ICE) or another law enforcement was detained by this letter [CHILD’S NAME] My child and he should go back to me [HER/HIS MOTHER/FATHER/PARENT] And the legal guardian, ”the template writes.” Under any circumstances [CHILD’S NAME] Detention of the state or placement in protective care. “

The new academic year begins in the midst of Trump’s federal inheritance, while parents are worried about what can happen in schools.

Sebastien Durand, Director of Facilities involving role student safety at a public regulation school in North-West DC, said that the school was dealing with families this week before the school year started.

“It was explained to us that they were extremely scared,” he said. “A little, in fact, he was asking if we wouldn’t go back to an Era -type school, which they had no need to come to school and had to provide something far away.”

He told them that they could not do it legally, but the school decided to use their funds from the nearest subway station to the campus at least for at least the next two weeks. He said the school is worried about participation, especially the rates of lower than desired since my pande.

The first week is full for children who started school year before. Santos’s five -year -old son began a kindergarten at the northwest DC school on Monday. On the second day of the school, he said that there were police cars that were not marked with agents parked in front of the school. That evening, parents were told that the school increased security measures, and all students, parents and caregivers would be asked to wear colorful cords with photography identity to enter the school areas. The school will also operate a bus for students and caregivers from metro to parking.

“As you can imagine, it’s hard, Sant Santos said. “We had to talk about what’s going on with our son, why increasing security, the importance of courtesy, that not everyone was safe and welcome.”

“As children go back to school, they have intimidation factors in the game,” he added “and this creates an aggressive environment that I don’t think is suitable for learning or children.”