Rantz: Edmonds School District planned session to help illegal immigrants break federal law

Meadowdale High School in Lynnwood had planned a controversial information session with the Mexican Consulate on ways to help illegal immigrants avoid deportation. However, after the event gained widespread attention through the popular LibsOfTikTok account, the school decided to cancel it.

The event, titled “Know Your Rights,” was originally scheduled for Dec. 17 in the Meadowdale High School library. According to the event flyer, the Mexican Consulate intended to provide information about immigration to “families and allies in the Edmonds School District and nearby communities.” The event was sponsored by the Edmonds School District.

“Learn how to prepare for immigration raids and your individual rights when approached, detained or incarcerated by police or immigration agents,” the flyer noted in English and Spanish.

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Why was the info session for illegal immigrants canceled by the Edmonds School District?

After gaining social media attention, a spokesperson for the Edmonds School District confirmed the illegal immigrant info-session’s cancellation.

“The online attention it garnered has led to some online comments of harassing and threatening nature,” spokesperson Curtis Campbell explained to “The Jason Rantz Show” on KTTH.

Campbell cited examples of comments such as, “This meeting sounds like a great place to start a roundup,” and “I’m going to show up with my ICE hat!”

“Due to this, we believe it is in the best interest of families and staff to not hold the event,” Campbell explained. “We do not have plans to reschedule at this time.”

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How many students or families are impacted?

The event is obviously controversial. Why is a school district providing info sessions on how to circumvent federal law? It’s not even clear how many students or families in the district would be impacted.

“While we don’t collect this data by law, we believe there are a number of families in our district who would be considered undocumented,” Campbell explained. “The Migrant Policy Institute estimated there are 25,000 living in Snohomish County.”

President-elect Donald Trump has promised to deport illegal immigrants, prioritizing dangerous criminals for deportation. There are a reported 1.4 million illegal immigrants who have already been ordered to be deported, yet remain in this country.

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How is this appropriate?

The Edmonds School District was wrong to plan the “Know Your Rights” event for illegal immigrants from the start.

Public schools should focus on education, not hosting sessions that effectively teach families how to avoid federal immigration law enforcement. Such events blur the line between providing community resources and actively endorsing actions that circumvent the law.

If the father of a student is in the country illegally and faces deportation for a sexual assault or an armed robbery, the Edmonds School District is telling the community that not only will it fight to keep that father in this country illegally, but keep the child in his care. What kind of message does this send?

Schools are meant to serve as places of learning for all students, not venues for politically charged workshops. Hosting this event under the guise of legal education undermines public trust. The backlash and subsequent cancellation were inevitable, and this misstep should serve as a lesson for the district to focus on its primary responsibility: educating students, not wading into political issues the district would never dare go on record to defend.

SCOOP: @MeadowdaleMavs school in Lynnwood, WA reportedly sent a message to families inviting them to a meeting to teach them how to prepare for “immigration raids” and how to deal with ICE agents ahead of Trump’s presidency

The school did not return our request for comment pic.twitter.com/vi3dwtgzZc

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) December 6, 2024

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