On Sunday, teachers from across the country are gathering in El Paso, Texas to call for the closure of all federal detention centers housing immigrant children. The Teach In For Freedom event organized by the American Federation of Teachers union features presentations on a number of immigration-related topics.
One educator from our region making the trip is Zeovadis Tavarez-Polanco, a fifth-grade educator in the dual language program at the Delaware Community School in Albany City School District.
Tavarez-Polanco, a first-generation American, has strong feelings about the parents and children that were separated at the border under the Trump administration. Over the summer, she joined an army of volunteers to translate for detained immigrants being held at the Albany County Jail.
WAMC’s Lucas Willard spoke with Tavarez-Polanco on Friday afternoon, just hours after President Donald Trump announced he would declare a national emergency to build a wall on the southern border, skirting approval from Congress.
