I don't believe a teacher should be asked to help enforce immigration laws. I have found, through experience, that students learn best when they trust and respect their teacher. That relationship will be damaged if students are fearful that a teacher must "report" possible immigration irregularities. If we allow this bill to pass, what other police functions may the state or federal government require of a teacher? Will primary through high school educators be impacted next? I have spoken with several dedicated teachers who, in good conscience, could not "cooperate" and would need to retire early or find another profession, which will be a devastating loss to the community. Please act quickly and contact your State delegate (or the House Higher Education Committee Chairman noted below) immediately as HB 2001 may come to vote in the House as early as next week (end of next week - Feb 2-3, 2017). The bill will be before the House Higher Education Committee possibly next Wednesday (2/1/17), Chairman Jimmie Massie; email:[email protected] VIEW BILL: https://www.richmondsunlight.com/bill/2017/hb2001/fulltext/

I live in a sanctuary city and want it to remain so.

¡Compromiso de proteger a las familias inmigrantes! La Marcha de las Mujeres es un hermoso recordatorio del poder que tenemos cuando nos unimos. Y es sólo el comienzo de una creciente oposición nacional a la política de odio del presidente Trump. El Presidente Trump ya ha tomado medidas en su plataforma anti-migrante. Con órdenes ejecutivas recientes, estableció planes para construir un muro fronterizo, castigar a los gobiernos locales que apoyan a los inmigrantes, y aumentar las detenciones y deportaciones de familias y niños. Ha amenazado con atacar a las comunidades musulmanas y desmantelar los programas de refugiados que salvan vidas. Él ha prometido poner fin a importantes programas como DACA - que permite a casi 1 millón de DREAMers vivir, trabajar e ir a la escuela en los Estados Unidos. De nosotras depende transformar el impulso de la resistencia en un poderoso movimiento de lucha contra estas peligrosas políticas. Juntos podemos proteger a nuestras familias, nuestras comunidades y nuestra democracia. Leah, una niña de once años, se unió a cientos de líderes de Nos Mantenemos Unidas en la Marcha de Mujeres en Washington, DC. La madre de Leah es indocumentada, y por eso ella viajó desde Miami, Florida "para decirle al nuevo presidente que las niñas somos FUERTES y vamos a defender a nuestras madres inmigrantes y a nuestras comunidades contra el odio. ¡ESTAMOS AQUÍ Y NO NOS VAMOS!" "Soy una niña y todos los días vivo con el miedo de ser separada de mi madre. No es justo. Me rompe el corazón. Sin embargo, como parte de la campaña Nos Mantenemos Unidas , sé que mi familia no está sola. Somos una comunidad de mujeres y niñas que se aman." En febrero, Leah regresará a DC con una delegación de niños de Florida para entregar el compromiso y mostrar que familias inmigrantes como la suya están aquí para quedarse. ¡Únete a Leah y firma el Compromiso de Unidad hoy!

Tell President Trump we don't want a wall between us and Mexico. We need effective immigration laws, not racist and isolationist tactics for our global economy.

The shamelessly unjust scapegoating of immigrants needs to be resisted. As a life-long New Yorker, I have interacted with immigrants daily my entire life. My experiences have enriched my life. I have taught ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) for 24 years, and have had the joy to help thousands of individuals from more than 50 countries to succeed in this country. I would like to see similar individuals continue to have opportunities in New York City.

Donald Trump has signed an executive order blocking refugees from seeking safety and restricting immigration from Muslim countries—a Muslim ban in everything but name. While the Trump administration has backpedaled on his call for "a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States"—realizing the weakness of his mandate and the unpopularity of his policies—it's clear that these orders are driven by a deep-seated, almost maniacal anti-Muslim hate that has captured Trump and his cabinet. And his call to block Syrian refugees—some of the most vulnerable people in the world—is shockingly morally bankrupt, even for someone like Trump. We reject targeting of anyone based on their religion or where they come from, and call on members of Congress to go on the record and vocally reject Trump's Muslim ban.

President Donald Trump is expected to sign executive orders to ban on refugees and a suspension of visas for refugees and immigrants from African countries including Libya, Somalia, Yemen and Sudan. To block entry from the designated countries, Trump is likely to instruct the US State Department to stop issuing visas to people from those African nations. Our brothers and sisters are escaping from civil wars and dictatorship, and yet the new administration is working hard to prevent them from seeking sanctuary in the United States. Please help us stop the President's inhumane action from happening!!

Felipe de Jesus Molina Mendoza (A# 206-252-347) is a proud graduate of Durham Public Schools. Felipe graduated from Riverside High School in 2009 with a 3.8 GPA with dreams of attending UNC Chapel Hill and majoring in nursing. Despite graduating from a North Carolina public school, Felipe was facing out-of-state tuition, a sum so great higher education became unrealistic. Left with no other option, Felipe returned to Mexico to continue his academic studies. Felipe faced discrimination and prejudice in Mexico, which led to a rapid decline in Felipe’s mental health. Felipe faced various instances of being persecuted, stalked and assaulted because of his sexual orientation. At one point, a group of men threw beer bottles at Felipe and his then boyfriend. Felipe reported the incident to the police but the police refused to act. Instead, these government officials blamed Felipe for holding hands with his boyfriend. Another time, Felipe and his boyfriend were stopped and frisked by the police and ordered not to kiss in public. With Mexican authorities refusing to protect Felipe, Felipe faced no other option but applying for asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border. During Felipe’s time in detention, Felipe was targeted by detainees and officers. Felipe was harassed, intimidated and falsely accused. Felipe and other LGBT immigrants were, then, segregated in a cell in direct view of a detention officer. Despite the fact that Felipe’s life is in danger in Mexico, Felipe was ordered deported in March 2016 and an appeal is, currently, pending. Two months ago, Felipe enrolled at Durham Technical Community College. Felipe’s dreams were crushed, again, after receiving a deportation notice from Immigration & Customs Enforcement this past Christmas Eve. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, exercise favorable prosecutorial discretion and approve Felipe’s (A# 206-252-347) stay of removal.

We should be concerned about this issue out of a sense of inclusiveness, justice, and humanity. Undocumented students, staff, and their family members who live in fear of deportation threats should know that TAMUK will provide the protection that would be allowed by law or by action as a sanctuary campus.

This petition is to support all of the sanctuary cities that are taking a stance against president-elect Trump's proposed mass deportation policy. I'm concerned for all of my friends and neighbors and the rest of the people in our country who will have their lives turned upside down.

I am starting this petition because I feel that it is unfair for immigrants to get deported when they crossed the border to start a new life and have freedom.

Hmong, Laotian, Cambodians and numerous other race from the south east Asia region have been targeted, hunted and executed for decades due to the CIA's involvement during the Vietnam war. This caused all these people to run for their lives seeking asylum in the US and many other countries around the world. Now the US government is trying to send these people with INS holding back to the very country that has been hunting, prosecuting and annihilating them for the past 4 decades. Any person from the south east Asia region entering the US on or before 2008 is due to them fearing for their lives and seeking asylum from the governmental persecution. Please stop the deportation of our loves ones to Laos and Cambodia.