This installment came at the time of the vigil in Frankfurt and came to my desk for resharing. It has to do with the life of a person who carpools what looks like a 24/7 job, getting people from point A to point B. But it’s rightfully so, for many are afraid to hit the streets, fearing that ICE will stop them and take them away. Here’s the person’s story:
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At 4:45 AM I leave my house to pick up a couple in South Minneapolis who I drive to their jobs in Little Canada (a suburb that is located about 45 minutes from Minneapolis). They are not able to drive themselves, carpool with other workers or take public transportation because it is too risky. They have legal status with work permits but many of their family members have been abducted by ICE recently despite having legal status here.
After dropping the couple off in Little Canada, I drive back to South Minneapolis to pick up a preschooler and drive him to my school.
The first thing I do at school is bus duty. I greet the students who arrive by bus. Most of our immigrant students are now doing online learning, but some are driven by non immigrant families and a few others come by bus. In Minnesota this week it 20 degrees below zero, but there are always 6-8 volunteers from the neighborhood patrolling the perimeter of our school during pick up and drop off to dissuade ICE from abducting any teachers, parents, bus drivers or children.
During the school day I teach some in person groups, some online groups and some mixed groups. Yesterday the mother of one of my students was detained at her immigration meeting. She and her father cannot go back to their house because they are afraid that ICE will abduct them. Temporary emergency housing has been found for them.
After school I deliver donated food to the families of some of my students and I contact 10 other families to find out what food they need this weekend. Some of my friends and family members will help me buy and deliver whatever these 10 families need.
I will drive the couple to and from work in Little Canada on Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday I will also take the student whose mother was just detained to buy clothes since she and her father are not able to go back to their house to get their possessions.
Thank you for thinking of us.
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The Files has a new page on Trump 2.0, where you can read up on the stories written by the author, etc. It includes several categories including Trump’s Endgame, I Told You So- Ignoring the Signs of Trumpism, Interviews, Terminologies and the most recent series, Stories from Minnesota. Please note that more stories will be added to the page. Check it out! 🙂
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