Bill Bliss
In the wake of the 2014 grand jury decisions in Ferguson, Missouri, and New York City and the protests and tension that have followed, many of our immigrant students are expressing concern about issues of law enforcement in their communities. These concerns vary widely based on students’ previous experiences with the police in their countries of origin and their current experiences with the justice system in the United States––experiences that can vary from state to state and from one locality to another based on requirements for issuing driver’s licenses, local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement such as the former Secure Communities program, the presence of bilingual personnel in police departments, and many other factors. Here’s a story that can prompt some critical classroom conversations about police/community relations. READ MORE
