The Minneapolis public school system (MPS) has gone all-in on an effort to shield/conceal illegal alien students (and the illegal-alien parents of students) from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in order to frustrate ICE’s enforcement of federal immigration law. However, in doing so, MPS officials are seemingly violating felony provisions of § 274 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). Section 274 prohibits concealing, harboring, or shielding illegal aliens from detection. Penalties generally include imprisonment of up to five years, with much more severe penalties if serious injury or death to any person results.
On January 9, The Associated Press reported that MPS “will offer families the option of remote learning for a month, officials said. … Under the temporary plan, teachers will simultaneously deliver lessons from their classrooms to students in the classroom and at home.”
Why? The AP story stated that MPS was “responding to concerns that children might feel unsafe venturing out in a city where tensions are high over federal immigration enforcement”. It also quoted a Minneapolis school administrator’s e-mail to staff stating “This meets a really important need for our students who are not able to come to school right now[.]” The story noted that while “Advocates in other cities facing federal [immigration law enforcement] interventions have sought remote learning options, particularly for immigrant families that might feel vulnerable … Minneapolis appears to be one of the few districts to reintroduce the option of virtual learning.”
Also, on January 8, Marcia Howard, president of the Teacher Chapter of the Minneapolis Federation of Educators (MFE), Local 59, posted on Facebook explaining that “MPS is going to be offering an option for students to learn from home until February 12. This is an OPTION in addition to regular classes and exactly what so many families need right now. MFE members brought this to MPS and MPS listened.”
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