You can listen now to our latest Boardhawk Podcast episode, either by clicking on the embed below or through your preferred podcast service.
In this episode we are talking about recent immigration activities in our community and the effect it is having on Denver Public Schools families. We are also welcoming another guest onto the podcast, Jorge Castaneda, a Denver-based immigration attorney. A full introduction to the topic follows below the podcast episode embed.
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Here is an update on recent events regarding immigration actions by the Trump administration and the DPS response, as well as some information about our guest on this podcast episode.
On Wednesday, Feb. 12, DPS became the first school district in the nation to sue the Trump Administration over its immigration policies. The lawsuit attempts to block immigration enforcement actions in and around schools. Under previous administration policies, going back decades, schools have largely been off limits since they are considered protected areas or sensitive locations.
On January 20, the Trump Administration rescinded the Biden administrations guidelines, which essentially stated that people should have access to basic and fundamental services like health care, food, shelter, education, so it limited immigration enforcement activities in and around hospitals, shelters, social services centers, places of worship, schools, and other places that children gather like childcare center, before- and after-school programs, bus stops, playgrounds and recreation centers.
By rescinding the policy which protects schools, the lawsuit states, “DPS is hindered in fulfilling its mission of providing education and life services to the students who are refraining from attending DPS schools for fear of immigration enforcement actions occurring on DPS school grounds.”
Before the news of he lawsuit came out, Alan and I had already planned on doing a podcast episode on immigration, so we had sent a list of questions to DPS about the impact of immigration activities on students and families. The questions did not ask about the lawsuit, however many of their responses which will share are still very timely for this discussion.
Finally, I want to share that this is a deeply personal issue to me. I am a proud daughter of immigrants. When I was born, neither of my parents were documented. If they were born in a different generation, my parents would have been considered dreamers, since they came to the US as children without any say of their own. When I heard about Trump’s executive order attempting to eliminate birthright citizenship, I felt some kinda way….
I also know what it is like to have a parent detained by ICE. When I was pregnant with my first child and in my third trimester, my father was detained and held at the Aurora GEO Detention Center. I did everything in my power to fight his deportation, during that time, my son was born, and the first time he met his grandpa was at the Aurora detention center, with a glass partition between him and my father. So in that spirit, I am eager to dive into this discussion.
I am thrilled to introduce someone who I met several years ago when we in the same fellowship cohort of the Latino Leadership Institute.
Jorge Castañeda is the founder and owner of Castañeda Law. He is a licensed attorney in Arizona and Colorado and has been practicing law for over 20-years. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of San Diego and graduated from Arizona State University College of Law.
Jorge began his legal career in 2001 at the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office. In 2006 Jorge went into private practice, where he began practicing criminal defense and immigration law. Jorge is fluently bilingual and has extensive experience in both the criminal and immigration courts. Jorge was born in Nogales, Sonora Mexico.
His family immigrated when he was a child and he grew up in Nogales, Arizona. His personal background gives Jorge a unique perspective on the issues that affect the immigrant community. He has made it his professional goal to provide honest and straightforward representation for his clients.
