The Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District Board of Education passed a motion last Tuesday showing support for law enforcement that works with the district to ensure student safety.
The motion, brought forward by Trustee Tricia Quintero, additionally affirms support for immigration enforcement who “carries out their duties professionally and lawfully.”
Board members initially attempted to pass a resolution expressing support towards law enforcement, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, last Tuesday.
The original motion proposed by Leandra Blades stated that the schools would work in partnership not only with local and state officers, but also federal agents.
The wording used in the motion targeted content-based speech, claiming that “harassment, misinformation, or fear-based narratives directed at law enforcement personnel undermine public trust and compromise community stability.”
It also utilized a paragraph from their immigration enforcement handling policy, which they unanimously passed in that same evening, to show support for federal agents.
“BE IT RESOLVED, that the Placentia-Yorba Linda Board of Education affirms its support for local law enforcement officers and federal immigration officers who carry out their duties professionally and lawfully,” reads the resolution.
According to Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District Board Policy 1445, “district staff shall not obstruct, interfere with, or otherwise impede an officer or employee of an agency conducting immigration enforcement who nonetheless enters district-provided transportation, a nonpublic area of any district property or facility, or a nonpublic area where any district-sponsored program or activity is occurring.”
In the policy of origin, that paragraph comes after stating that district staff shall not grant permission for an officer to enter school property without a valid judicial subpoena, judicial warrant or court order.
The following statement clarifies that if an officer does so, regardless if they have permission, an employee cannot obstruct so that the situation is not escalated.
The last two paragraphs of the motion aimed to condemn “political activism” in school, “fear-mongering” and “politicization of public safety issues.”
The controversy brought over a great number of families, community members and over 50 public speakers who opposed the motion. Audience members sitting inside the chamber and outside held signs in protest of ICE, and against the school board trustee who brought forward the proposal.
“Just about everything this administration is doing with regards to immigration system and enforcement is in direct violation of our law,” said Bethany Anderson, the executive director of Solidarity and Camino Immigration Services, during the public comments. “When an elected official tries to advance a policy that violates the law and erodes the safety of students, accountability is not optional. Ms. Blades, if you cannot uphold your duty to protect all students and follow the law, you should resign immediately.”
Following public comment, Blades blamed community activist groups for playing what she claimed was an active role in spreading misinformation.
“Maybe we couldn’t have had social media, socialist clubs, and PYL Buzz, and Yorba Linda Moms and all these people coming out and running a false narrative, and scaring the heck out everybody in our community,” Blades said. “Every single day, we have law enforcement on our campuses to protect our kids, but suddenly, we’re fearful of ICE, when ICE has not been in our campuses.”
Though ICE reportedly has not been inside schools in Orange County, there have been occasions throughout the state when parents and children have been detained near campuses. The OC Register reported last year that a father was detained and kept in an ICE vehicle outside of an elementary school in Garden Grove until he could prove his identity.
Students have led walkout protests against ICE throughout the county, including students from Valencia and El Dorado high schools from the PYLUSD on Feb. 6.
“I just think it’s kind of ironic that you’re bringing up scenarios that could happen, may happen, but yet downplaying scenarios that have happened and could happen in Placentia and Yorba Linda,” Quintero said. “This concern is coming from a community that has seen [ICE raids] happen.”
The Placentia Police Department has confirmed the presence of ICE in the city, but claims to not be in regular contact with the federal agency.
In a statement released by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department earlier last year, Sheriff Don Barnes said that “the Orange County Sheriff’s Department does not enforce federal immigration law,” and that they “remain focused on violations of state and local laws.”