CTA and NEA are part of a broad coalition of unions and community-based organizations calling for comprehensive immigration reform as congress debates the issue. As educators, we have witnessed for far too long the impact of the nation’s current broken system on our students, their families and our communities.

We need an immigration system that values keeping families together, provides a path to citizenship for those aspiring Americans who are working in our communities and expands the Dream Act to ensure all students have an opportunity for higher education.

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Have your voice heard! Have your work highlighted! Win some amazing prizes!

As our country is on the brink of moving forward on a path to citizenship for America’s 11 million undocumented immigrants, the Cortos Y Fuertes/ Short & Strong  student film competition will add the voices of young people to this national dialogue. The competition is sponsored by the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO and UNITE HERE – in collaboration with distinguished social justice activists and luminaries in the entertainment industry.

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The Senate Judiciary Committee has begun “marking up” the Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013 (S. 744), the comprehensive immigration reform bill from the bipartisan "Gang of Eight". NEA and CTA believe the bill represents a serious plan and a step in the right direction to fix our broken immigration system. More than 300 amendments have been filed, setting the stage for weeks of committee action followed by floor votes. NEA/CTA-supported amendments would:

• Put all qualified children, including “Little DREAMers,” on the DREAM Act’s five-year pathway to citizenship. 
• Help keep kids safe during Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids. 

The United States is a nation of immigrants and how we treat new immigrants reflects our commitment to the values that define us. We continues to urge Congress to:

• Enact and expand the DREAM Act and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. 
• Preserve the unity of families, traditional and nontraditional. 
• Create a realistic path to citizenship for the 11 million aspiring citizens who call America home. 

"On behalf of the more than 325,000 teachers and education support professionals of the California Teachers Association, we believe the time for comprehensive immigration reform is now.

Educators know first-hand about the dreams of their students. We know about the dreams of new immigrant families who moved here to make a better life for themselves. But this dream will be lost if we have immigration policies that break up families. Students do better in school when they have a stable family life. We can’t have immigration policies that force families to live in fear or to choose between their county and their loved ones—mothers, fathers, sisters, and brothers. Preserving family unity must be a part of the solution!

For too long, children brought here illegally, through no fault of their own by their parents, have been living in the shadows of society. Now is the time to give them an opportunity to earn their citizenship. These students are real people. They are in our classrooms every day. They each have a dream and a story like the 19-year old young woman, named Andrea. Andrea started in California public schools in 3rd grade and by the time she graduated high school in the spring of 2012, she was captain of the speech and debate team. This was a girl who spoke no English when she was brought to this country but yet was able to master two languages and graduate with honors. Andrea has a dream to go to medical school to become a pediatrician. We need to give Andrea the opportunity to become a citizen." 

 Read the complete letter to Congress.

CTA believes in an immigration process that includes due process, political asylum, and timely legalization without regard to national origin. Immigration policies should guarantee human rights and protect the integrity of the family unit without discrimination. CTA further believes, regardless of immigration status, emergency medical care should not be denied to any person.

Regardless of the immigration status of students or their parents, every student has the right to a free public education free from harassment. Schools are a safe haven and that no police officer or any federal, state or local agency shall enter the school building and or school grounds for the purpose of interrogating, questioning, arresting or taking into custody a student and/or parent unless upon lawful request.

English and citizenship classes must be available in sufficient numbers to ensure individuals can comply with all federal mandates for permanent residence and/or citizenship.

CTA opposes any immigration policy that further militarizes United States borders, hinders workers’ abilities to organize, impose high fees and fines on those seeking legalization and citizenship, or criminalizes individuals or groups who support or assist immigrants regardless of their status. (CRE: March 1994, January 1996, April 2006, April 2008, April 2010) 

Equal Educational Access

CTA believes every student attending a public school in California is entitled to equal access to all educational opportunities. This access shall not be denied because of gender discrimination, ethnicity, language, special needs, socio-economic or immigration status. The goal of public education is to provide students with the skills necessary to become responsible and healthy members of society. Any monetary disincentives that penalize students create barriers to future success and should not exist.

CTA believes that the policy of tying standardized testing to funding and teacher evaluation creates an incentive to discriminate against students, which results in denying them equitable access to quality education. (CRE: March 1994, March 2001, June 2006, November 2009, April 2010)