TAKING NO CHANCES
J’can family in Chicago withdraws children from public schools as Trump returns to office
Published:Tuesday | January 21, 2025 | 12:10 AMAndre Williams/Staff Reporter
Taking no chances amid a planned immigration crackdown by United States President Donald Trump as he begins his second term, a Jamaican family in Chicago has taken the precautionary step to enrol their children in private online schooling and are looking to relocate.
Construction manager Jason* and his wife Rhonda*, a patient care nurse, told The Gleaner yesterday that they are playing it safe and consulting their attorney before making any drastic moves.
“We are ‘undocumented’, as they would say. We have young chidren. We came here legally, but over time, we were just working our way to a balanced life here. Things were not okay back in Jamaica. We lived in the inner city and wanted something different for our children. I’m glad I do live in work in patient care for the elderly and don’t have to worry they (immigration officers) would show up at my job,” Rhonda said, her voice cracking as she spoke.
“Last week was their last day at public school. After the Martin Luther King Jr holiday, they will start a different structure, obtaining an education from home. The good thing is while they would rather have it remain the same, they understand exactly what is going on,” Jason said.
Jason said that on Monday, the entire family watched the inauguration of the 47th president of the United States and listened keenly to Trump’s speech.
“My son is 13 years old and my daughter is nine, and they understand what is happening. My son came here at a young age and my daughter was born here. She asked [whether] we will be separated,” Jason said.
Reports over the weekend in the US media indicated that the removal operations threatened by Trump’s border tsar Tom Homan could begin in Chicago, an Illinois city with a large migrant population, as early as Tuesday.
DEPORTATION CLOUD
Trump has repeatedly pledged to carry out the largest deportation programme in his second term.
Rhonda told The Gleaner that since Trump’s election victory last November, they have been carefully considering their next steps.
While the family plans to relocate from Chicago, they are concerned about the impact on their livelihoods, as they rely on their combined incomes to meet basic needs.
“We were definitely not idling our time here. We knew what we were up against if he won and he did, and we know he has a mandate to carry out, and he campaigned heavily on immigration. Right now, it’s not if or but or maybe. He is back and you can feel it and hear it among undocumented people. It has been the talk in different circles,” Jason said.
Robinson told The Gleaner that he is aware of other Jamaican families in similar situations who have enrolled their children in online or homeschooling, avoiding public spaces as a precaution.
“You could see that some of the places people use to venture into, they’re not going there anymore … . People just not taking any chances with Trump,” Robinson said.
Trump signed roughly 200 executive actions, memoranda and proclamations on Monday, undoing Biden administration mandates and implementing his ‘America first’ policies. The slew of executive orders he signed after taking the oath included declaring a national emergency on the US-Mexico border, ordering construction on his border wall to resume, ending birthright citizenship, and terminating diversity programmes in federal agencies.
In a speech to his supporters at the Capital One Arena, he previewed his intentions and signed some of the orders on stage.
“America’s decline is over,” the declared, promising a broad crackdown on illegal immigration as part of his broader vision to restore the nation’s standing.
“America’s decline is over,” the 78-year-old said to thunderous applause.
*Names changed.