Rahm can’t make Chicago a sanctuary city while attacking public schools

Like many immigrant parents, my father came to the United States when he was 16 years old to pursue the American Dream. From being homeless to owning his own furniture store, his immigrant story reflects that of many in Chicago. 

Now President Trump has employed distorted rhetoric to describe immigrants like my father. 

{mosads}As a response, Chicago’s Mayor Rahm Emanuel, reaffirmed that the windy city will remain a sanctuary, shielding undocumented immigrants from the deportation force that Trump could deploy.

“To all those who are, after Tuesday’s election, very nervous and filled with anxiety … you are safe in Chicago, you are secure in Chicago and you are supported in Chicago,” said Mr. Emanuel. 

The Mayor’s actions, however, tell a different story. Emanuel has either targeted or neglected the very same institutions that provide sanctuary to thousands of immigrants in Chicago. Each year his administration has cut millions of dollars in funding from Chicago’s Public School system. 

Public schools are the central institutions through which many immigrant families create a community, and build the sense of sanctuary that comes with it. Teachers and staff members provide an important service to the children and their families. 

When teachers lose their jobs, it is more than a “layoff”. It robs immigrant families of the vital services they desperately need, and trustworthy providers with whom they’ve built relationships. 

As the Mayor continuously hacks away at the educational support immigrant families rely on, he is giving away millions of our tax dollars to his donors to erect luxury buildings that could have been built anyway without taxpayer subsidies. 

Throughout Chicago neighborhoods, like my own in Little Village, immigrant families have built lives, opened up businesses, and become homeowners.  These families are relying on public schools to provide their children, whether they are undocumented or not, with the best education and security. They rely on their Mayor not only to talk the talk, but also to walk the walk.  

Emanuel’s empty rhetoric can be further exposed by his record in Washington. He was also the main force behind the most aggressive enforcement against immigrant families. 

As a senior official to former President Bill Clinton, he led Democrats in creating the immigration dragnet that saw historic number of deportations of immigrant workers, dreamers, and parents. He opposed reforming our broken immigration system, calling it the “third rail of American politics,” politically fatal to those who dare touch it and pushed against tackling immigration reform when Democrats had control of Congress in 2010. 

Chicago needs a Mayor who will firmly stand up against demagogues like Trump, and truly protect hard working immigrants who are contributing to our economy and culture. Not a Mayor who has undermined the institutions that immigrants rely on, and derailed legislative efforts that would have provided a path to citizenship. 

How can Rahm Emmanuel protect immigrant families while simultaneously attacking public schools that have become their sanctuary? 

Yesenia Mata is co-director of the Dream Action Coalition and Chicago activist.  

The views expressed by authors are their own and not the views of The Hill.