Des Moines creates 'sanctuary schools' for undocumented students

Des Moines Public Schools will act as "sanctuaries" for undocumented students, barring staff from asking about their immigration status and funneling federal inquiries through the superintendent's office and district attorney.

But the measure appears to stops short of blocking the district from working with immigration officials. Instead, Superintendent Tom Ahart said he would work to “ensure that any action that they are going to take is fully compliant with the law.”

What remains unclear is how far the district will go to defend students or their families. In the resolution, the board said they "will do everything in its power to afford equal protection of all members of our community from attempts to criminalize or target them based on race, ethnicity, citizenship, immigration status or national origin."

"It's about who we are. It’s not about who we are not," said school board member Rob Barron. “It’s not about some kind of resistance, it’s not about lawlessness and it’s not about politics. It’s about definition.”

Immigrants plead with Des Moines officials for protection

More than 10 people spoke passionately about the need to not only shield students, but to ensure welcoming and inviting schools. No one spoke against the resolution, although officials acknowledged "a few negative emails."

Some shared personal tales. Monserrat Iniguez said both her parents, who emigrated from Mexico, were deported during her childhood in Los Angeles — her father while she was in fourth grade, and her mother while she was in seventh grade.

During those times, she took refuge in her public school, and urged Des Moines officials to offer the same solace to students here.

“I know the impact of fear, how crippling that will be,” she said. “I know how much students want to have something, somewhere, that can’t be touched.”

About 4,000 Des Moines students, or 13 percent of the district's enrollment, were born outside of the United States. Many have refugee or legal immigration status, while others are undocumented.

In addition, the district educates more than 200 students who emigrated from the seven countries on President Donald Trump’s travel ban, said school board chair Teree Caldwell-Johnson.

"I am so damn proud," Caldwell-Johnson said. "I am so proud of our community."

Officials also approved a resolution supporting the BRIDGE Act, which would ensure undocumented students who arrive in this country as youth can go on to college. Proponents fear former President Barack Obama's executive order on immigration, known as the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, could be revised or overturned by the Trump administration.

"We want our young people to have some expectation that when they graduate Des Moines Public Schools, they can go to college, and their options are not limited by immigration status," Barron said.

Many undocumented students are fearful, said Sandra Sanchez, advocacy director of the American Friends Service Committee's Immigrants Voice Program.

Thirty students typically apply for scholarships within the organization, but so far this year, only one has.

“Youth have lost hope, they think that they can be deported at any time, or that their parents can be deported at any time,” she said. “That’s not the future we want for Des Moines, and that’s not the future we want for our state.”

The two resolutions comes amid growing concern about immigration policy that, at times, have disrupted classroom learning. After the November election, hundreds of Des Moines high school students walked out of class to protest Trump's election.

Teens told the Register they were concerned for the future of family or friends. Educators also reported cases of students sobbing, or being unable to concentrate on lessons. In addition, the ACLU has expressed concern about an uptick in bullying and harassment toward immigrant students statewide.

“Since literally the morning after the election, when there was a walkout, there’s been anxiety, uncertainty and fear of what might happen to them or their families,” school district spokesman Phil Roeder said.

Across the nation, school districts such as Minneapolis, Los Angeles and Philadelphia are passing similar "sanctuary school" resolutions. In Iowa, local activists are also calling on the city of Des Moines, among other government entities, to pass similar sanctuary resolutions.

But some opposed the move. U.S. Rep. Steve King decried the proposal on Tuesday, saying it violated the U.S. Constitution and federal laws. In addition, that it could “lead to future criminal investigations by empowering the superintendent to evade inquiries from ICE officials,” he said in a statement.

“I am incredulous that the school board would come to this kind of motivation or conclusion given that the Trump administration has previously stated they will withhold any federal funds that would go to any sanctuary jurisdiction in America,” said King, a Republican who lives near Kiron in rural Sac County.

However, the district’s resolution doesn’t explicitly say they will refuse immigration officers; rather, it sets up a protocol to follow if such inquiries begin. It is not expected to jeopardize Des Moines' federal school funding, Roeder said.

Des Moines Schools do not keep student immigration records. To his recollection, the district has never been contacted by immigration officials, Roeder said.

In their resolution, officials cited the 1982 Supreme Court case Plyler v. Doe, which said it's unconstitutional to deny children access to public education based on their immigration status.

“I think it helps give students that would be affected some greater security in their school building,” Barron said.