Montgomery County PTA hosts ICE response coaching session for households

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Mother or father Instructor Affiliation officers in one of many wealthiest college districts within the nation hosted a coaching session final month instructing households on how to answer Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) exercise.

The digital PTA session in Montgomery County, Maryland , was held on Jan. 20 and was headed by Councilwoman Kristin Mink. The assembly was titled "ICE Response & Organizing Instruments for PTAs, Dad and mom & Guardians."

In response to the Nationwide Overview, Mink has beforehand hosted a number of periods on methods colleges can equip themselves with "instruments to sluggish ICE down and defend one another." The coaching guided mother and father on methods to escort college students with unlawful immigrant mother and father, and inspired volunteers to observe ICE exercise throughout drop‑off and pickup, and launched methods to assist households affected by ICE arrests and deportations.

In the course of the session, Mink reportedly introduced complete "speedy response" steerage she had created and shared publicly three days earlier.

In a single slide, Mink outlined how " White allies " might help and assist the group, advising them to not use whistles to counter " ICE violence ," which has grow to be a widespread type of group resistance. She argued that White people ought to keep away from utilizing a instrument that, in her view, reinforces authority related to Whiteness.

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Kristin Mink addresses a protest in opposition to President Donald Trump in entrance of the White Home in Washington, DC, on August 6, 2018. (NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP by way of Getty Pictures)

"Particularly for White allies, whistles can signify a unconscious need for authority, safety, or management in moments of disaster," the slide mentioned.

"However speedy response will not be about assuming authority. . . . After we query selections made by these impacted, we danger centering our personal consolation as an alternative of impacted individuals."

She added that "What feels ‘activating’ or empowering to some may cause stress to others," noting that "Black and Brown communities are already overexposed to power noise air pollution as a result of racist zoning, redlining, and disinvestment."

She additional addressed, within the slide, how sure traits — similar to gender, sexuality, and training — align with positions of energy or marginalization.

'WHITE SAVIORS' USE OF WHISTLES CAUSES BITTER INTERNAL RIFT INSIDE ANTI-ICE MOVEMENT

Automobiles park outdoors Montgomery Blair Excessive Faculty in Silver Spring, Maryland on June 12, 2025. (Robb Hill/The Washington Put up by way of Getty Pictures)

Final September, the Division of Homeland Safety clarified that, opposite to what it described as "fearmongering" by sanctuary politicians, "ICE will not be conducting enforcement operations at, or ‘raiding,’ colleges."

Mink's presentation aligns with a latest wave inside the anti-ICE motion, the place immigrant-led organizations clashed with predominantly White "speedy response" activists over the usage of whistles throughout immigration raids. Teams just like the Washington Immigrant Solidarity Community (WAISN) and Maryland-based coalitions argue that blowing whistles is a "White Savior" tactic that creates pointless panic and escalates pressure.

The Jan. 20 assembly sparked additional controversy, with critics arguing that parent-teacher organizations ought to prioritize educational success somewhat than partaking in political activism.

"It goes with out saying, PTAs should focus on their original intent: college students — not injecting inflammatory and divisive political rhetoric into the group," Kendall Tietz, investigative reporter at Defending Schooling, advised the Nationwide Overview.

Kristin Mink on the Montgomery County Council Workplace Constructing in Rockville, Maryland on January 14, 2025. (Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Put up by way of Getty Pictures)

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The web presentation was promoted by and marketed on the Montgomery County Council of PTAs’ social media. In response to the net sign-up sheet, a number of businesses supported the data session, together with training associations, labor unions and immigration advocacy organizations.

Many native PTAs additionally promoted the session on their official platforms, together with these at Gaithersburg Center Faculty, Laytonsville Elementary Faculty, and Stedwick Elementary Faculty.