During our weekly library time in early February, I sat around with my eighth-grade students working on a Holocaust Memorial Project. After the Holocaust ended in 1945, legislative mandates in different states ensured students in eighth- grade English Language Arts would learn about the tragedy to help fulfill the promise of “never again.” I spent two weeks with my students learning about the rise of Adolf Hitler and “The Final Solution,” and then they made butterfly memorials to honor victims and survivors of the Holocaust. Then we read The Diary of Anne Frank.
Our conversations have been held against the backdrop of a new federal administration coming into power whose blitz of rulings targeting immigrants has created fear and anxiety for my students. Fear about what could happen to them and their families. Every day, questions and concerns are voiced—my students recognize patterns between these two authoritarian governments.
Teaching history, I try to create connections between the mirroring events, reminding us that Hitler’s rise to power as Supreme Leader did not happen overnight. We need to study the steps of history so that we can learn what to recognize if it were to happen again.
“Remember kids, not all laws are good,” I explain as we discuss Nazi Germany’s Nuremberg Laws, a series antisemitic and racist legislation that targeted Jews as scapegoats for the country’s economic woes. “Pay attention to power grabs,” I note as we learn about how Hitler declared martial law that led to his rise. And I teach them the word “scapegoat” so we can recognize when members of our community have been blamed for society’s problems.
The irony has not escaped me, and my students, that as we are learning about this genocide from 70 years ago, mirroring events of fear and hate are happening in our world right now.
Sitting around, creating butterfly memorials together, my students opened up about their fears. “La Migra was at Ross,” a student reported. “ICE deported two guys at my brother’s work,” another eighth-grader added. And it’s already hitting close to home. A former Milagro student’s father has been deported.
These fears aren’t new. Most everyone knows of someone who has been deported—mainly during the Obama years. This makes the fear-mongering by the current administration more effective because the threats still linger. Many of the videos circulating online of people being detained are actually old.
As we find ourselves in times where certain people in our communities are targeted, we must ask ourselves “What are we doing to support the vulnerable?”
On Feb. 5, Santa Fe Public Schools sent out a letter to the community with information for undocumented families after recent accounts of ICE showing up in Santa Fe. The release stated there were no confirmed visits from ICE in SFPS schools and reiterated that SFPS does not know the immigration status of its students or families.
“We want to assure you that every child, regardless of their immigration status, is welcome in our schools,” the memo from former Superintendent Hilario “Larry” Chavez read. The memo shared some local community organizations families could connect with for more information.
The cycle of fear is endless and appears to be a central tactic of this new federal administration. Videos circulating online of ICE raids, deportation “ASMR,” internet memes—the hate is endless. This generation of students is online more than any adult and has seen the onslaught of vitriol firsthand.
As a community, it is our time to stand up to hate and show our immigrant students and their families that they are safe here in Santa Fe. In early January, the SFPS Board of Education passed a resolution “Reaffirming Santa Fe Public Schools as Safe Havens.” The resolution reiterates that federal immigration officials are not allowed access to SFPS campuses except “upon issuance and receipt of a warrant.”
Section 5 of the resolution directs the superintendent to take the action to “implement staff training and programs on bullying and conflict intervention and how to support immigrant students.” This is an important component to support teachers in their work to create safe learning environments for their students.
My friend, a school counselor at a local charter school, led a workshop for the staff and students at his school about knowing your rights. This type of education is both critical and urgent. Santa Fe Public Schools has partnered with the Somos Unidos Foundation to host workshops for families, but getting the word out about these events has been challenging.
Schools are a cornerstone to a community. It is a nexus of people and resources. They must remain safe havens for learning and exclude parties who wish to create fear. Our schools should continue to serve as resource centers, hosting workshops for families, both in-person and virtual. We need to train faculty and staff how best to support students during this time. We need to ask our immigrant communities how we can best support them.
An undercurrent of fear is antithetical to a learning environment. If students know we are devoted to their safety and protection, we can build a culture of trust. It is our job as educators to support our students, fight for our community and stand up when needed.
I ask our community, what will you do when ICE comes calling?
Aviva Markowitz is in her eleventh year of teaching, currently teaching eighth grade ELA and ELD at Milagro Middle School. She received her Masters in Education in Language, Literacy and Sociocultural Studies from the University of New Mexico in 2021. She serves as the SFPS District Family Engagement Coordinator and she is on the leadership team at Milagro.
