The Edmonds School District earlier this week canceled a “Know Your Rights” information session planned in conjunction with the Mexican Consulate, due to online hate speech.
The legal clinic – originally scheduled for Dec. 17 – was designed to inform immigrants of their rights in the U.S. under the U.S. Constitution regardless of immigration status.
The school district, which has an enrollment of about 24% Latino students, contacted the Mexican Consulate for help in scheduling the event.
Head Consul of Mexico in Seattle, Hector Ivan Godoy Priske, said in an interview with My Neighborhood News Network partner Jaime Mendez News, “We are not doing anything improper that would take us out of our role as a diplomatic representation.”
Godoy Priske said that the consulate receives hundreds of invitations for clinics like the “Know Your Rights” sessions as part of its consular duties.
Edmonds School District Director of Communications and Public Relations Curtis Campbell said the event was intended to provide crucial information and resources to families. District Superintendent Rebecca Miner canceled the event to prioritize the safety and well-being of families, staff and community members following the online threats and harassment.
“I wouldn’t want to speculate as to why the event was the target of harassment, but I think the comments speak for themselves,” Campbell said.
On X, formerly known as Twitter, an account named “Libs of TikTok” posted on Dec. 6, “SCOOP: @MeadowdaleMavs school in Lynnwood, WA reportedly sent a message to families inviting them to a meeting to teach them how to prepare for ‘immigration raids’ and how to deal with ICE agents ahead of Trump’s presidency.”
Some of the responses included:
“Happy hunting, everyone!”
“This meeting sounds like a great place to start a roundup.”
“I live close to that school and am prepared to help ICE agents do their job.”
“Report Support Deport. We’ll be watching [taking] pictures and helping ICE in any way possible to rid our country of garbage illegal aliens we will MAGA.”
“I’m all for it. All we have to do is take note of who attended to know who the illegals or their sympathizers are. It will make things easier to round them all up!”
President-elect Donald Trump has promised strict border measures during his administration, including a return to the “Remain in Mexico” policy for asylum seekers during the asylum process. Further, detention camps used along the U.S.-Mexico border during his first administration will be reinstated in major cities.
Campbell said that the district remains steadfast in its commitment to serve and support every student and family, regardless of immigration or nationality status.
“Federal law, which was affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court in Plyer vs. Doe, states that undocumented children and young adults have the same right to attend public schools as do U.S. citizens and permanent residents,” Campbell said.
In accordance with federal law, Campbell said, the district does not “collect or inquire about a student or a family’s immigration status, treat students or families differently based on perceived immigration status or enforce U.S. immigration law.”
Campbell said the district is committed to finding alternative ways to share the information with those needing it.
“We will collaborate with community partners and explore other formats to ensure families receive the resources and support they require in a safe and accessible manner,” Campbell said.
The American Civil Liberties Union’s (ACLU) webpage offers advice to immigrants if they are detained or arrested.
— By Rick Sinnett
It sounds like the school is promoting illegal activity? Is it knowing your rights coming into our country illegally? Im confused. Or legally? When you come here illegally what rights should you have?? Like the country of Mexico itself, you have none.
You need to re-read the article, which clearly states, “The legal clinic – originally scheduled for Dec. 17 – was designed to inform immigrants of their rights in the U.S. under the U.S. Constitution regardless of immigration status.”
How can anyone object to someone knowing their constitutional rights? Even an illegal person has the human right to decent, humane and properly legal treatment. Or do you disagree?
You wrote: “When you come here illegally what rights should you have??” Perhaps it might have been useful and informative for you to have attended. But thugs prevented your having the option.
“It sounds like the school is promoting illegal activity?” The article clearly sates, “Head Consul of Mexico in Seattle, Hector Ivan Godoy Priske, said in an interview with My Neighborhood News Network partner Jaime Mendez News, ‘We are not doing anything improper that would take us out of our role as a diplomatic representation.'” He also said that the consulate receives hundreds of invitations for clinics like the “Know Your Rights” sessions as part of its consular duties.
At any rate, you miss the point – the article was about a legal public meeting being canceled because of threats of violence.
Well said, Nathaniel Brown. Support human rights. US needs immigrants, as it always has.
Thank you. Another term for these rights are HUMAN RIGHTS! It’s sad that so many care about only their own. Plus, we are talking about CHILDREN, who are innocent and should be protected.
I read and copied the article..” The legal clinic – originally scheduled for Dec. 17 – was designed to inform immigrants of their rights in the U.S. under the U.S. Constitution regardless of immigration status.”. I think more discussion is needed at a much higher level of our government. On the definition of immigration status. Obviously since our majority elected President has seen the legality of deporting immigrants. Let’s wait until the new President and his staff plans on the deportation of very bad convicted immigrants. I definitely think holding hot topics in a school is a bad idea.
Thank you Nathaniel Brown for writing an excellent clarification.
Yes, well said. It disappoints me to hear of this meeting being cancelled in my town, at my alma mater, for no positive reason .
If they show up, so will we. These chuds need to go back to the wrong side of history where they clearly belong. We’ve been collecting names and addresses. Their neighbors and jobs are going to learn about their bigotry.
This appalling! Whether or not you believe this seminar was a good thing, the fact that it has had to be canceled owing to threats of violence is totally unacceptable. Are we descending into a chaotic anarchy , where society can only function in ways that are “allowed” by whoever own a gun or can make a bomb?
As an aside, this disgusting incident occurred at a time when we are hotly debating the future of our police force…
Kenneth Clark, the final paragraph of Civilization: “At this point I reveal myself in my true colours, as a stick-in-the-mud. I hold a number of beliefs that have been repudiated by the liveliest intellects of out time. I believe that order is better than chaos, creation better than destruction. I prefer gentleness to violence, forgiveness to vendetta. On the whole I think that knowledge is preferable to ignorance, and I am sure that human sympathy is more valuable than ideology… “
We are not born with hate.
Unfortunately it is a learned thing.
Excellent response Nathanial.
I believe that having such an event is worthwhile and I support this event taking place. I deplore the negative social media reaction.
What I question is why our beleaguered School District is the promoter of this event and dragging this potentially serious problem -which has the possibility of civil unrest and violence – into the realm of our schools and on campus. Repeatedly we keep seeing schools become the focus point of social services. Perhaps Rebecca Miner could explain why she felt the schools needed to do this, as opposed to some other organization such as other ethnic community organizations?
Our schools are having enough problems with the basics of educating the kids. The school district should not be using their time and resources to promote this type of event.
Chris, I wonder this to? I don’t believe it Is the first time that hot topics were set up in the schools meeting facilities. How do they do that with the security involved with schools?
How shameful to find within ourselves such cruelty and then go about celebrating it.
Heartbreaking.
Clearly, threats are entirely unacceptable. However, the school district is “opening a can of worms” for reasons that are unmistakably political. Only a foolish person would deny this. One would assume they would prioritize more pressing missions, especially during times when resources are limited. Let’s keep the partisan politics and religion out of the school district.
Currently there are more than 1.4 million immigrants with deportation orders this doesn’t include currently incarcerated individuals or detained immigrants or those who haven’t had their day in court yet. This event would have been a good place for ice to raid in search of those who shouldn’t be here so I guess if you support illegal immigration then it was probably a good idea to cancel I don’t think threatening them is a good idea but our local and state governments certainly should be working with ice to track down and remove those with removal orders but I guess if you support the cartel gangs selling fentanyl to your children by all means do everything you can to protect them. I can agree our immigration system is broken and both sides are guilty of not fixing it. But protecting and supporting illegal immigrants convicted of crimes really chaps my hide. Broke the law to get here, made it difficult for low wage workers to get better wages, took advantage of our social programs leaving less for our own people costing taxpayers trillions and then thank us by stealing our stuff, trafficking in drugs, committing assaults and worse sorry but I don’t think those people should be protected they should be rounded up and sent home.
“I guess if you support illegal immigration… ”
Who supports illegal immigration? I guess if you support threats of violence – which was the point of the article- and raiding perfectly legal public gatherings, these things are okay with you?
People should not be here illegally, but we depend on them for so many things, as Clinton points out. A rational discussion of how to get those jobs done might be a better way to deal with the problem than threats of violence. Likewise, less hysteria and more cool-headed exploration of how to deal with crime, might be a better way forward than raiding public gatherings.
The majority of the illegals are peaceful, here to work, or fleeing repression. We need a sensible way to admit them or not, but also a sensible and humane way to sift out and deport the illegals and criminals. Violence is not the way.
Nathaniel makes a good point most come with good intentions but should we be vetting them? Hundreds of thousands that have been found to be criminals after the fact should we let them stay? Millions have broken our laws should this be tolerated? People are trained to say the right things to gain asylum in this country get a court date 4 years out and a decision after another 4 years with a 70 plus percent rejection rate, the question is Is it fair for the citizens of this country? No one except for the most extreme suggests everyone be sent home but is it improper to suggest we have standards? That we do a good job of vetting people before we allow entry? That people that don’t have our values be sent back? Or should we just pay for a lifetime of incarceration and free representation for people that have no intention of living within the bounds of our civil society? How is government to relive us of foreign bad actors if not for prosecution and deportation? Should we just allow for tens of millions of unvetted people to immigrant every year? Where is the line? How many millions new people should we support each year between social needs and criminal expenses? Valid questions but it seems protection is more important than the law.
So if we just round up a bunch of people without papers and deport them, America will automatically be great again? We need a whole bunch of people to pick our crops that can’t be harvested mechanically, we need a whole bunch of people to prune grapes and fruit trees , we need a whole bunch of people to butcher our livestock and we need a whole bunch of people to take care of our elderly with dementia and physical breakdown as most Americans do not care to perform those types of labor. Rather than spending billions of dollars rounding up people, many of whom actually come to perform just that type of labor we lack bodies for, wouldn’t it make more sense to come up with some sort of public/private program to hire guest workers with some sort of path to citizenship for those who want that or renewable visas to work here until they can return home to a country they might want to return to someday. Most native Mexicans love Mexico and would rather not leave I’m told. It’s going to cost way more than it’s ever going to be worth to deport people on the scale the Trump Administration is talking about. Anger and hate don’t feed the pussy cat, they just feed more anger and hate.
The USA voted for change. Let’s see what the new President will do. They are going after the felons first..or bad hombres. Let’s let them do it.
I find the statement we need immigrants to pick our fruit and vegetables disgusting. The statement translates to we need slave labor and it’s a good job for an immigrant. My Great Grandparents were immigrants a hard and poor experience shared by many.. My ancestors worked hard making clothing, cooking for families and were small business owners. America should not limit one’s destiny by using immigrants for menial work as they might have skills America needs.
We used to bus migrants to the USA during crop season and they would return home? Our school hours and breaks were designed to enable kids to help work the fields. What a great way to teach kids the value of hard work.
i am not sure how you qualify the new comers since technically they were let into our country. I hope the criminal aliens are removed quickly. I understand there are foreign gangs and the cartel in the USA. I hope these people are targeted for removal and quick!
Just a reminder, your parents probably came here legally. It wasn’t easy to get into the USA years ago. As my family did. Different philosophy They wanted to speak ONLY English..they really Wanted to become Americans only.. they were the slave labor at that time..most were.
I’m not clear on what you find disgusting – the statement, or the fact? The fact is that a large percentage of some of our crops are picked by immigrant labor, whether legal or illegal. Farmers are expressing fears that without cheap immigrant labor they may not be able to manage.
The situation is disgusting, but until we find affordable and effective alternate ways to bring in those crops where immigrant labor is needed, the problem will not go away.
I hope though, that with regard to the many hard-working immigrant laborers, we will bear in mind that leaving your home country is not lightly undertaken, and that the vast majority are decent, hard-working people trying to feed their families. They should be treated with human dignity. We owe that much to ourselves and the ideals of America.
I heartily concur with your closing remarks that gangs, cartels, etc. need to be rooted out! But serious discussion of the labor problem is perhaps just as pressing, because as long as the need remains, the problem will not go away.
Good points, Dee. Pretty demeaning comments indeed that we need immigrants to pick our crops. And criminal aliens and gangs should be removed quickly and not allowed to use our legal system against us.
Being disgusted involves feelings, which can defy facts. My ancestors came from Europe in the early 1900’s to do work in eastern Pennsylvania’s coal mines and steel mills. Americans avoided these jobs. My relatives lived in extended family households to survive on the meager wages of the time. The same was true of immigrants in the garment industry of New York and those who worked in the meat packing industry of Chicago. Indeed they worked like slaves, but they knew they were not because they could see what was the status of Blacks in America.
With regard to the plight of foreign workers today, the fact is that the Americans are not much different than those privileged in other countries. It came to light from the Hamas attack in Isreal that there were foreign workers on the kibbutz doing the work that Israelis avoided. I know this is also true for Haitians working in the fish plants and fruit fields of eastern Canada. It happens to the Philippinos and Malays in Singapore. The same exists for the Palestinians and Yemenis in Saudi Arabia. One big difference is that in the USA we have neglected to put in place the resources and procedures to handle the number of people we need to do the jobs we want others to perform.
Not much point to this conversation. We will never get the “only I can fix it” devotees to realize they elected the Wizzard of Oz, until they live it. Unfortunately that means the rest of us must live it too. I think we will all make it pretty much unscathed but it’s not going to be easy. Mr., “my election will bring about lower prices almost immediately,” just stated, ” I can’t possibly control what things cost, ” or something to that affect in his latest NBC interview. They showed him making that previous statement while on the campaign trail. The war on illegal immigrants will be about as successful as our war on drugs has been. The only reason the gangs and cartels are here is that Americans can’t get enough of their product. The new President of Mexico just tried to tell that to Trump but it went right over his head.
Just make it an online event. What are they going to do? Post mean comments?
WOW! Even there the politics of hate are a live and well. Messages of hatred that could actually stop an educational seminar. I am ashamed of the community if this is what it has come to.
Disgraceful.
Embarrassing.
This is still a great community…just don’t assume your view is the right view. This is a hot topic and we all have opinions. It’s only when someone assumes their view is the ONLY a view. Doesn’t mean Hatred. Just different opinion.
Closing this thread now.