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Lawsuit claims principal threatened to call ICE on mother, babysitter

Lawsuit claims principal threatened to call ICE on mother, babysitter
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Lawsuit claims principal threatened to call ICE on mother, babysitter
A lawsuit filed Tuesday claims a California school principal threatened to call immigration officers on a mother and babysitter.According to the United States Supreme Court, every public school is a sanctuary for undocumented immigrant children. In 1982 the court ruled children can't be denied an education based on their immigration status.This lawsuit filed against the Pasadena Unified School District claims that constitutionally-guaranteed promise was broken when a former principal at Madison Elementary School, Juan Ruelas, threatened to turn a mother from one family and a babysitter from another over to immigration agents.The Los Angeles Times reports the threat came when the babysitter, Eva Del Rio, came to drop off her charge at the school. When she knocked on a closed campus entrance, the principal allegedly cursed and threatened to report her to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) if she tried to knock again.“I felt discriminated against, humiliated,” she said Tuesday, in Spanish. “I felt pain.”The lawsuit was filed by an immigrants rights organization, Maldef."The threat that these parents received was that ICE would be contacted and brought to the school or would be specifically directed those individuals for enforcement action," said lawyer Thomas Saenz. "The real impact not only it scares the parents it scares kids who are aware enough to know what's going on and they have to go to that school every day."Del Rio is one of five people who have sued the school district, claiming that the principal violated the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment and that the Pasadena Unified School District violated anti-discrimination laws by failing to investigate a formal complaint against him.

A lawsuit filed Tuesday claims a California school principal threatened to call immigration officers on a mother and babysitter.

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According to the United States Supreme Court, every public school is a sanctuary for undocumented immigrant children. In 1982 the court ruled children can't be denied an education based on their immigration status.

This lawsuit filed against the Pasadena Unified School District claims that constitutionally-guaranteed promise was broken when a former principal at Madison Elementary School, Juan Ruelas, threatened to turn a mother from one family and a babysitter from another over to immigration agents.

The Los Angeles Times reports the threat came when the babysitter, Eva Del Rio, came to drop off her charge at the school.

When she knocked on a closed campus entrance, the principal allegedly cursed and threatened to report her to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) if she tried to knock again.

“I felt discriminated against, humiliated,” she said Tuesday, in Spanish. “I felt pain.”

The lawsuit was filed by an immigrants rights organization, Maldef.

"The threat that these parents received was that ICE would be contacted and brought to the school or would be specifically directed those individuals for enforcement action," said lawyer Thomas Saenz. "The real impact not only it scares the parents it scares kids who are aware enough to know what's going on and they have to go to that school every day."

Del Rio is one of five people who have sued the school district, claiming that the principal violated the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment and that the Pasadena Unified School District violated anti-discrimination laws by failing to investigate a formal complaint against him.