To Protest or Not on May 1

Law Prof Michael Olivas and Education Prof Tina Reyes  have a nice/op ed in the Houston Chronicle on April 30 “To protest….or not Monday.”  It starts like this:

As many others have been, we are impressed by the peaceful efforts of Houston-area and other students to take to the streets and to urge immigration reform. They have done so at some risk to themselves, especially in light of the very real threat to their immigration status, as some of them have come to the attention of immigration authorities and school officials. In Albuquerque, as one example, several undocumented students were arrested and turned over to immigration authorities without reason. In California, when one student’s status was threatened by a school official, he tragically took his own life. In other communities, when immigration policy debates are exposing latent prejudices and nativism, many of our young immigrant students quite reasonably fear for their own safety and family security. In this society, they have come to realize the wonderful attributes offree expression and the importance of advocacy on important issues – especially those that affect their own community. They are putting into practice civics lessons, ones learned in the Houston Independent School District and other schools.

To see the entire piece, click here.

KJ