By Janel Angelique Perez / Herald Forum
I am the granddaughter of an undocumented abuela (grandmother) who raised her family here. She worked, served her community, and gave everything she had so her children could thrive. Her story lives in me. That is why what is happening now feels like an attack on my bloodline, my home, and our future. I am Mexican by roots, American by birth. I am Chicana.
What we are witnessing is not immigration enforcement. It is the deliberate targeting of Hispanic families. Undocumented people are being taken from grocery stores, worksites, courthouses, and public streets. Families are torn apart in front of their children. Fear has replaced safety in communities built on hard work, sacrifice and love.
Most devastating is that this cruelty has entered early childhood spaces. Immigration enforcement is infiltrating schools, preschools, and childcare settings. Children as young as four and five years old are being detained and deported. Even more disturbing, children are being used as bait to force parents out of places of safety. This is not policy. This is trauma by design.
Research shows that early childhood trauma disrupts brain development, increases anxiety and depression, and causes long-term harm to learning and health. When children lose safety, routine and trust, the damage can last a lifetime. Parents are now too afraid to send their children to preschool, cutting off essential early learning during the most critical years of development.
I advocate for children every day. When we terrorize children, we damage generations.
I call on Snohomish County leaders, school districts, child care providers, and elected officials to publicly commit to protecting children and families, to reject immigration enforcement in educational spaces, and to ensure schools and childcare centers remain places of safety. If we cannot protect our children, we have failed our future. Silence is no longer an option.
Janel Angelique Perez lives in Marysville.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
