This post is written by Bryan Christopher, NCTE’s P12 Policy Analyst from North Carolina. It is the second part of a series about Wildin Acosta, an undocumented student. You can read the first part .听
On January 28, Wildin Acosta, an in Durham, NC, was arrested on his way to school. On August 29, he returned to school again, thanks to the advocacy efforts of his teachers, community, and, most of all, classmates.
In I wrote about the , , with lawmakers, and campaigns my student-advocates organized to halt Wildin鈥檚 deportation. But shortly after, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Sarah Salda帽a denied US Congressman G. K. Butterfield鈥檚 request for Wildin鈥檚 release from Stewart Detention Center until the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) reached a decision on his case. It effectively ended his opportunity to finish the final semester of his senior year and graduate, and my students鈥� momentum slowed considerably.
With an unrelated trip to Washington, DC, on my own schedule, I offered to advocate on their behalf during a few spare hours near the White House. They made a few calls, sent several emails, and handed me a stack of papers, delivery route, and list of instructions a few hours later.
I landed in Washington the next morning, caught the train to Butterfield鈥檚 office, and met with Kyle Parker, one of his assistants. I handed him a few copies of our school newspaper, with a photo of Butterfield鈥檚 visit on the cover. As Parker paged through the issue he noticed several articles written in both English and Spanish. It opened up a wider conversation about how much Durham has changed in the past 15 years and what makes it unique from other communities in North Carolina.
He didn鈥檛 have much to offer about Wildin, other than Butterfield鈥檚 slow-moving plans to visit Stewart. But he did say that, during the six years he鈥檇 spent working in Washington, he鈥檇 never seen anything like this before.
鈥淟et鈥檚 be clear,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f it wasn鈥檛 for those kids at Riverside, Wildin would already be back in Honduras. There鈥檚 no doubt in my mind.鈥�
鈥淎mericans see our government as this big, lumbering machine,鈥� he went on. 鈥淚t鈥檚 slow moving but steady by design. These kids, what they鈥檝e done . . . it stopped the machine, if only for a minute.鈥�
鈥淭hey don鈥檛 know that yet,鈥� I said. 鈥淪omeday they鈥檒l realize the magnitude of what they鈥檝e done, but right now they just want Wildin to graduate.鈥�
From Butterfield鈥檚 office I walked to a nearby cafe to meet Julie Mao, a deportation defense attorney with the National Lawyers Guild and member of Wildin鈥檚 legal team. She was star-struck to see so many student-advocates on the newspaper cover with Butterfield.
鈥淲e should bring them up here,鈥� she said. 鈥淟et the press know. Get Butterfield to help.鈥�
鈥淚t would be a great opportunity,鈥� I said, 鈥渂ut funding could be an issue, and exams begin soon.鈥�
She said she鈥檇 look for funding and let me know. In the meantime, she asked that, during my visit to the White House for President Obama鈥檚 Teacher Appreciation , I hand lawmakers a folder filled with letters, a New York Times about Wildin, and the April issue of The Pirates鈥� Hook.
鈥淚f you meet President Obama,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou can put this on his radar.鈥�
We finished our coffee and she helped me hail a cab to the White House. After moving through seven security checkpoints, I walked past the president鈥檚 home movie theater toward the East Wing of the White House. I checked my coat and, watching the other teachers head empty-handed toward the reception, left my bag and Julie鈥檚 folder, too.
As it turned out, I couldn鈥檛 have made the hand-off, anyway. President Obama spoke to a small group of us for almost an hour, but only the front rows got handshakes. I missed him by fifteen feet.
After the assembly we were allowed to explore the East Wing. I grabbed a drink, meandered through the Green Room and bumped into Secretary of Education John King. He was taking a selfie with another teacher, and I was next in line.
King had met another Riverside teacher the week before during one of his events. After posing for my photo I thanked him for taking the time to speak with my colleague and listen to Wildin鈥檚 story.
King told me that he appreciates the work my school and students are doing to advocate for Wildin鈥檚 return. He said he鈥檚 reached out to Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson, but immigration policy is complicated and his hands are tied when it comes to making exceptions for individual students.
It was a more personal answer than I鈥檇 expected, but not good enough for my students.
鈥淚 understand, Secretary King,鈥� I said. 鈥淏ut if you鈥檇 like another perspective, I have some students who would love to discuss it with you.鈥�
He paused.
鈥淵ou know,鈥� he said, 鈥渨e do invite students to share their perspectives on policy, and it would be an appropriate setting for their stories. Get in touch with the Department of Ed and see if we can set it up.鈥�
I thanked him, finished my tour of the East Wing, and caught a flight home that night. Before falling asleep I emailed Julie, apologized for not delivering the folder, and asked her to check about that funding.
The next day at school I asked my students if they鈥檇 be interested in visiting DC, contacted the Department of Ed, and discussed fundraising options.
To be continued…
Note:聽The cover art is by senior Emilee Bachman.
Bryan Christopher teaches English and Journalism at Riverside High School in Durham, NC. He’s also an 起点传媒Policy Analyst and Hope Street Teacher Voice Fellow. Email or Follow him @bryanchristo4.听