npr: On a cold Friday morning, more than 50 people sit in the auditorium of the Benjamin Franklin He
npr: On a cold Friday morning, more than 50 people sit in the auditorium of the Benjamin Franklin Health Science Academy in Brooklyn. Many have small children fidgeting on their laps.The families are here for a “Know Your Rights” forum on immigration hosted by U.S. Rep. Nydia Velazquez, D-N.Y., and the local school district. Given the new, intensified immigration enforcement priorities announced by the Department of Homeland Security in February, the purpose is to help people understand their legal rights with regards to asylum, applications for citizenship and more.A representative from Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office speaks, followed by representatives of legal-assistance and community groups. During the Q&A, one woman broke into tears as she described, in Spanish, her fears of deportation.There are many tears these days, says the woman who initiated this event, the school’s parent coordinator, Christian Rodriguez.“I have children crying in the classroom, crying in my office,” she says. “When I ask them, ‘Why are you crying?’ They have expressed to me that they don’t want their moms to be apprehended and taken away from them. It’s something heavy on my heart.”Read More: ‘I Have Children Crying In The Classroom’Illustration: LA Johnson/NPR -- source link