On Thursday, the Philadelphia school board voted unanimously to declare their district a “welcoming sanctuary” for illegal aliens, and that it will subsequently train its staff to “respond” to federal immigration authorities who seek to uphold the law, Breitbart reports.
The board came to its decision after months of pressure from a far-left pro-amnesty group called Juntos. In its declaration, the board said that it will work to assure “immigrant students and families they will be safe from immigration authorities while at school or school activities,” while promising “more training for staff on how to respond to Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) officials.”
The far-left school board members declared that the decision would improve the integrity and safety of the school district. Board member Mallory Lopez hailed the vote as “ensuring that they [illegal aliens] are given the opportunity to thrive and reach their greatest potential.” Leticia Egea-Hinton, the vice president of the school board, said that they would “make sure that all Philadelphia public schools are havens for immigrant students and their families.”
However, representatives from Juntos claimed that the measure did not go far enough. While a spokesperson called it a “first step,” they made further demands for “language equity, improved cultural instruction, and other educational justice reforms.”
As part of the school district’s new plan, the district will craft an “emergency response plan” for “providing counseling and emotional support for immigrant students who are affected by an immigration enforcement action in the community,” thus essentially threatening to directly defy federal authorities and prioritize illegal alien students over actual American students.