Latest news with #JenniferGaffney
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Sackets educators recognized for role in bringing family back from ICE detainment
May 20—SACKETS HARBOR — Three Sackets Harbor educators who mobilized to help bring back a family detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have received an award for their courage. On April 5, more than 1,000 people marched through Sackets in support of a mother and three children who were taken by federal immigration agents during a raid at a local farm on March 27. The family's detainment in a Texas detention center for more than a week sparked community outrage. About a week after the protest, the children and their mother were returned home to the north country. Pre-K-12th grade principal Jamie Cook, district superintendent Jennifer Gaffney, and Sackets Harbor Teachers Association President Jonna St. Croix were recognized by The Courage Project, a nationwide initiative aimed at honoring and celebrating acts of bravery. According to a news released from The Courage Project, the initiative is backed by a $5 million commitment to honor those who are standing up for what they believe in, helping their neighbors, and building bridges across communities. "By allowing recipients to 'pay it forward,' the project gives everyday Americans a chance to support nonprofits that provide vital community services, promote civic engagement, uphold human dignity, and champion the public good," the news release reads. School officials were credited by the Sackets Harbor community with playing an integral part in bringing the students and their mother home, working behind the scenes to ensure they were released. Many teachers from all over the north country participated in the march. Gaffney said the week of the march that educators must protect children. The Courage Project gives awards that range from $10,000 to $50,000 to organizations and honors individuals for acts that demonstrate leadership in their communities. For individual recipients, they may recommend donations to values-aligned American nonprofits organizations, according to the organization. "Everyday acts of courage make our communities strong, connected, and resilient. As individuals, we all are empowered with the ability to be the positive change we want to see in our communities," said Angela F. Williams, president and CEO of United Way Worldwide, one of the founding partners of The Courage Project. "We need only take the first step by checking in on a neighbor, volunteering to clean up a local park, or organizing a food drive. Courage can take on many shapes — our voices, our talents, or simply our willingness to show up for others expecting nothing in return. These selfless acts of compassionate courage are powerful reminders of our collective humanity at its best. Through The Courage Project, United Way Worldwide is proud to help honor the organizations and individuals who embody these values, whose everyday bravery keeps us going."
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘We want them back': Three students taken after ICE raid in Sackets Harbor
SACKETS HARBOR, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — The community of the small village of Sackets Harbor was shaken after seven people were apprehended during an ICE raid on Thursday, including three students in the Sackets Harbor Central School District. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection confirmed the number to WSYR in Syracuse. ICE detains three Sackets Harbor students in immigration sweep Jennifer Gaffney, the superintendent of Sackets Harbor Central School District, said the ICE raid did not happen on school property but at a farm in the town. 'As part of the process of detaining the person whom the warrant was issued, we had three students caught up in that mess and were taken and detained,' said Gaffney. On Tuesday, Gov. Kathy Hochul released the following statement about the ICE raid: 'Under Presidents Biden and Trump, I have been clear that I would work with the federal government to help secure our borders and deport violent criminals who pose a threat. But I cannot think of any public safety justification for ICE agents to rip an innocent family, including a child in the third grade, from their Sackets Harbor home. That is not the immigration enforcement promised to the American people. It's just plain cruel. I want this family returned to New York State and believe ICE needs to immediately answer for these actions.' More: Latest News from Around the Tri-State The community has been contacting local and federal politicians to understand how to bring those students back. While this raid happened upstate, local communities across the tri-state region are pushing for people taken in ICE raids to be returned home, including Karim Daoud, a father of two, who was detained by ICE in March, according to his friend Rachel Mascitelli. U.S. Customs and Border Protection says all seven have been transferred out of New York and are awaiting removal proceedings. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
