During a busy evening grocery trip, Cara Jenkins, a third-grade teacher at Jacob L. Adams Elementary School, paused her shopping to share concerns about Immigration and Customs Enforcement. One of 62 residents asked for their opinion on local law enforcement partnering with ICE, she explained that she has seen families pull their children out of school.
“I have teacher friends whose students are self-deporting with their families because they know it’s not going to be good,” Jenkins said, adding that her work with children shapes how she views the issue. “Trust has already been demolished. I feel like it was at zero before, and now it’s in the negatives,” she said, referring to trust between local police and communities.
The Collegian interviewed citizens of Richmond and the surrounding counties to assess public opinion on the situation. Of the 62 interviewees, almost 76% opposed cooperation between ICE and Virginia law enforcement…