I am worried for my students
Matt is an educator in Massachusetts, where he works closely with immigrant families—some documented, some undocumented—who are living in fear due to ongoing ICE raids, despite the state’s efforts to offer protection. He describes how this fear has become personal: people he knows are now afraid to go to the grocery store, the library, or even send their children to school. In his work with young people, he sees students struggling with questions around gender and sexual orientation, unsure of which adults they can safely talk to. He has personally witnessed children as young as second or third grade being told to “go back to your country,” despite being born in the U.S. Additionally, his wife, who works in food justice, has had to spend much of her time responding to federal instability instead of directly helping families—an issue that has directly impacted their household and their shared sense of community responsibility.