Post by otis corbie on Jul 4, 2011 16:52:13 GMT
Caribbean teachers lobby for permanent US residency
2011-06-30 10:07:32 | (4 Comments)
NEW YORK, CMC - Local and state officials, civic groups and Caribbean teachers have joined forces in lower Manhattan on Wednesday urging the federal government do more to help the teachers and their families obtain permanent United States residency.
Approximately, 500 Caribbean educators from Jamaica, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago were recruited in 2001 by New York’s Department of Education to teach in the city’s sprawling public school system, with the hope of becoming US citizens.
However, more than 700 immigrants came in hopes of becoming permanent US citizens, but so far only 276 have achieved that, city figures show.
The teachers say they were recruited with the understanding of becoming permanent United States citizens and are now at risk for deportation.
However, the teachers also claim that their spouses and children are unable to work and are currently living under the threat of deportation.
President of the non-profit The Black Institute, Bertha Lewis, which has led the campaign to create awareness around the “broken promises†to Caribbean teachers, said that working with the UFT, community groups, and the Department of Education, great strides have been made toward justice for the teachers, though the work is still not done.
The Jamaican-born chairperson of the Association of International Educators, Judith Hall, added that she foresees the momentum being maintained “to seek the kind of redress we have long awaitedâ€.
Manhattan Borough President, Scott Stringer said that the teachers had kept their promises to the 1.1 million public school students of New York City and it was time to make good on promises made to them.
The Office of New York City Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, said the administration has begun “making strides†in its efforts to offer a long-term solution for the hundreds of Caribbean teachers stuck in this situation