“What will we do if they’re not here?”
That was one of the fundamental questions addressed Thursday morning at a public policy issue forum hosted by the Greater Des Moines Partnership on the subject of immigration reform.
One of the panelists who framed the discussion was DMPS Superintendent Dr. Tom Ahart.
The event was two blocks away from the district’s recently established Center for New Americans and was scheduled in conjunction with iMarch, a national day of action that’s being coordinated by New American Economy. NAE “brings together more than 500 Republican, Democratic, and Independent mayors and business leaders who support immigration reforms that will help create jobs for Americans today,” according to its website.
“Just yesterday we were at the home of a student who’s about to complete our homebuilding program at Central Campus. Now he’s afraid of deportation,” Ahart said when the conversation turned to the March 5, 2018 deadline that’s looming for “dreamers.” They are the targets of an executive order by President Trump that put DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) provisions on a six-month clock earlier this year.
Panelists brought different perspectives to the table but there was general agreement on two points: (1) It is up to Congress to take action if the roughly 800,000 previously unauthorized immigrants protected by DACA are to remain in the country legally, and (2) It will be a lose/lose scenario if that doesn’t happen. Bad, obviously for the “dreamers,” (to understate it not a little bit) but bad, also, for the communities and economies that depend on them and will be hard pressed to replace them.
The threat of their legal status expiring has had what Ahart described as a “chilling effect” throughout the school district. “We do a lot of outreach with our families that are affected by this,” he said. “We work with the parents as well as the students in providing learning services, but if you have instability like this threatened action it is difficult to concentrate on educating yourself.”
Just as business leaders count on predictability in the labor force for planning purposes, their workers too need to know what to expect.
“There are 112 countries of birth represented in our schools,” Ahart said. “Many of the students who come to us have already experienced trauma. These families are highly motivated and they are trying desperately to create some momentum in their lives. They are no different from us, or past waves of immigrants who came to this country looking for opportunity. Plus, their presence here results in a more robust educational experience for the students who were born here.”
Other panelists were Polk County Supervisor Bob Brownell; Lori Chesser, an immigration attorney for the Davis Brown Law Firm; Marti Doyle, a professor at Mercy College of Health Sciences; and Bob Riley, CEO of Feed Energy Company. The moderator was Joe Murphy, Senior Vice President of Government Relations & Public Policy for the Partnership.
Doyle told the group that, like Ahart, she is “humbled and inspired” by the backstories her students tell. She said it’s neither wise nor fair to relegate them to the status of “other” like the little box that’s included on so many registration and application forms.
“Some of you might be surprised to know that the largest group of immigrants we have coming into the Metro right now is Congolese,” said Brownell.
Seated a few chairs away, Ahart nodded. Tell him something he didn’t already know.
“Why is that? I guess because it’s a good place to live,” Brownell added.
And learn.