This post is written by Bryan Christopher, NCTE’s P12 Policy Analyst from North Carolina. It is the third part of a series about Wildin Acosta, an undocumented student. You can read the first part 聽and the second part .听
In Part 2, the students requested and obtained funding to travel from North Carolina to Washington, DC to meet with federal representatives.听
The students briefed Congress on the harmful effects of ICE raids targeting children in their school and community, answered questions in both English and Spanish for , , and media, and participated in a roundtable discussion with the Department of Homeland Security, Secretary King, and the Department of Education.
They told policymakers Wildin was a good student, that he stayed out of trouble and was involved in clubs and sports. Secretary King asked them questions about his educational opportunities at. My colleague showed him the package of homework assignments Riverside teachers to Wildin, which was rejected and returned to sender.
鈥淚t鈥檚 jail,鈥� one of my students said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 not learning anything.鈥�
The trip created more media coverage, so my students were disappointed that something more didn鈥檛 come from it. At graduation students again donned white wristbands in a show of solidarity. The student body president and salutatorian both mentioned Wildin in their speeches and called for equal opportunities for all students.
I told them that, while it feels like they failed because Wildin wasn鈥檛 with them, someday they鈥檒l realize what they鈥檇 accomplished.
鈥淵ou picked a fight with the government, and you didn鈥檛 lose,鈥� I said. 鈥淗ow many people can say that?鈥�
But my consolation was little help as they learned that, while they received their diplomas, Wildin was in .
Following Wildin鈥檚 10-day stint in solitary, a student wrote an to Jeh Johnson. News outlets reported more ICE raids, and the New York Times mentioned Wildin again in articles on and .
Then, on July 19, the BIA Wildin鈥檚 case, giving him a chance to argue for more permanent asylum in federal court. Advocates barraged Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorcas鈥檚 office with phone calls requesting Wildin鈥檚 immediate release. Calls were 鈥渘oted,鈥� but he remained at Stewart.
Three weeks later a judge scheduled his for August 9. Within hours of the announcement dozens of Durham teachers, students, and community advocates made plans to attend. The hearing was quickly cancelled and officials instead agreed to release Wildin on $10,000 bond. The money was raised in less than 48 hours.
More than six months after his arrest, Wildin finally returned to Durham on August 12. After two weeks of recuperation, he held a press conference.
He for more than an hour about his experience, beginning with his life in Honduras. He described the death threats he received from gangs that prompted him to leave, the officers he bribed at the Guatemalan and Mexican borders, getting stopped at the US border and spending several days in the 鈥淚CE Box鈥� before joining his parents in North Carolina.
He talked about his time at Stewart, the other teens he watched come and go, and the dark days he spent in 鈥渢hat place鈥� while his classmates walked in June.
He said his darkest moment came one day in July, when he asked an officer when he鈥檇 be free.
鈥淜id, I鈥檝e seen your record,鈥� the officer said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know why you鈥檙e here.鈥�
He recounted the phone call he received when his family had raised his bond money. He jumped for joy in celebration and told the advocates in the audience that, if they ever needed anything, to please call him.
He vowed to fight for the North Carolina teens who remained at Stewart and refused to rest until they, too, are released.
鈥淚f I can be a voice for my community,鈥� he said, 鈥淚 will.鈥�
When the press conference ended I met Wildin for the first time. He posed for with my students, some of whom had also never met him.
Wildin returned to Riverside High School on August 29. He鈥檒l earn his final three credits this fall and will graduate in December.
I wrote last May about knowing when to let my students lead. The first three months of the #FreeWildin campaign taught me how to recognize when it鈥檚 best to stay out of their way. My students did so much, so fast, that it was clear they didn鈥檛 need my help.
But when their advocacy efforts began to stall, I felt their frustration, shared their disappointment, and wanted to help. The last three months showed me how, when their leadership stalled, to serve them once again.
To get Wildin back, they needed to lead and I needed to follow. Together we restored his opportunity to graduate, and my community, school, and teaching will never be the same.
Note: The cover photo is by Julie Farkas.
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