For Immediate
Release
April 27, 2017
Contact: Richard Fowler
202-412-7745
Community, Labor
and Advocacy Groups Pen Open Letter to Congress to Build Schools, Not Walls
WASHINGTON—On Thursday, more than 150 local,
state and national grass-roots organizations sent an open
letter to congressional leaders urging them to reject President Trump’s
proposals to build a multibillion-dollar border wall, conduct more mass
deportations and cut public education funding. The letter comes in the midst of
a budget showdown that has pitted moderate Republican lawmakers and Democrats
against House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), Senate Majority Leader Mitch
McConnell (R-Ky.) and others attempting to make funding for increased
immigration enforcement part of any budget deal leaving the Hill.
“Instead
of funding President Trump’s anti-immigrant agenda, we are seeking additional
funding for our nation’s public schools,” says Keron Blair, director of the
Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools, which spearheaded the letter. “Our kids
deserve to go to neighborhood public schools that meet their social, emotional
and health needs, making them well-rounded citizens in our global society. Now
is the time for Congress to protect our students, fight for working families
and end the threat of mass deportations.”
The letter—
signed by labor and community organizations including the Center for Popular
Democracy, United We Dream, the National Education Association, SEIU and the
National Immigration Law Center, along with dozens of local grassroots
groups—urges policymakers to denounce fear and division and embrace the
following policy demands during budget negotiations:
- Reject
the White House’s funding request for a 1,000-mile border wall along the
U.S.-Mexico border, both now and in the future.
- Reject
the $6 billion funding measure to triple the number of Immigration and
Customs Enforcement agents for more raids and deportations.
- Reject
Trump’s proposal to slash federal education spending by $9 billion, which
would eliminate federal funding for after-school programs, community
schools, teacher training and other critical supports.
- Invest
in public schools, particularly those serving low-income African-American
and Latino students.
- Say
no to unaccountable voucher programs and charter school expansion.
“Public
schools are the cornerstone of our civic and economic infrastructure,” the
letter reads. “Their work is already complicated enough. Yet schools in
low-income communities and in predominantly African-American and immigrant
neighborhoods have struggled for too long with a lack of resources. Instead of
separating families and building walls, we must invest in our schools as part
of our nation’s infrastructure. Stronger schools are schools where teachers
have the tools they need to teach, students have access to a broad and rich
curriculum, and families and students are welcomed, supported, engaged and
safe.”
The letter
was sent just days before the “Build Schools, Not Walls” day of action on
Monday, May 1—a day that will see hundreds of thousands of students, parents,
educators and community members, working collectively with their immigrant
communities, in 200 cities and at 2,000 sites take to the streets to protect
public education and fight forward for a more fair and just immigration system.
