Trump’s crackdown on immigration is taking toll on child care workers

Not long after President Donald ‘Trump took office in January, staff at CentroNia bilingual preschool began rehearsing what to do if Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials came to the door.

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As ICE became a regular presence in their historically Latino neighbourhood this summer, teachers stopped taking children to nearby parks, libraries and playgrounds that had once been considered an extension ofthe classroom.

And in October, the school scrapped its beloved Hispanic Heritage Month parade, when immigrant parents typically dressed their children in costumes and soccer jerseys from their home countries. ICE had begun stopping staff members, all of whom have legal status, and school officials worried about drawing more unwelcome attention.

All of this transpired before ICE officials arrested a teacher inside a Spanish immersion preschool in Chicago in October. The event left immigrants who work in child care, along with the families who rely on them, feeling frightened and vulnerable.