Immigrants Are Not Lawbreakers

According to Latinos Rebel, undocumented students must stay enrolled in schools to remain in the United States and to contribute as gainfully employed adults, but the schools are not necessarily invested in their success as they are forced to comply with mandates of NCLB and ESSA. The fact is that school attendance and graduation rates occur in the contexts of undocumented young people’s lives, which are fraught with multiple difficulties. Undocumented students may need additional school rates are used against schools and undocumented students lives are full of many difficulties that impact their performance. These difficulties include negotiating the world in a language other than their own, lack of support for ESL, trauma, interrupted formal schooling, legal challenges and poverty. Only 54 percent of undocumented students who arrived at age 14 or older complete high school. For those who arrived before age 14, 72 percent complete. Compare these statistics to authorized

The reality that immigration policies and registration requirements create for undocumented students is a grim one; despite their scholarly capability, thousands upon thousands of undocumented students who have completed high school do not continue on with their education because of the lack of legal paperwork (DREAM Act). This has been the story line for countless undocumented valedictorians, like Grecia Cantu, who’s dream of going to Baylor University to become a teacher was plucked by a simple mandate of Congress (Smith). Despite having a presidential scholarship to Baylor University, Grecia’s future is hampered by her illegal status in the country and the inactivity of the DREAM Act in congress, which is due largely to its brisk opponents. Critics of the legislation falsely advocate that it grants preferential treatment to undocumented students (Malkin 1). In reality, the DREAM Act only grants qualifying individuals with a temporary residency, a driver’s license, and a work permit (Giving the Fact). This allows the students who meet the criteria the same tuition rates as natural-born citizens and a legal way to work and drive in the country. Another resounding critic among the opponents of the bill includes the common misconception that the DREAM Act will provide amnesty and forgive the federal offense immigrants committed when they entered the country illegally (Smith). In truth, only immigrants who entered the country during their youth, before age 16, are eligible for the benefits of the legislation. Once they apply, they will have to fulfill the requirements of completing a 2-year college or serve a 2-year term in the armed forces to finally receive resident status, not citizenship, after 6 years of proved residency (Creating Opportunities). If Congress allowed this legislation to

I agree the strengths of American school is that all resident, including undocumented immigrant are free to attend in school from Kingdergarten to High school. Unlike the other countries where you have to pay so much money to be in school. In addition, they are provided free lunches and breakfasts. It helps all the kids get educated which is very important.

In “Undocumented students’ Access to College: The American Dream Denied,” Chavez, Soriano and Olivia (2007) have stated that millions of students who live in United States are undocumented immigrants; most of them come to U.S at a very young age. They completed their high school and achieved great academic success, some of them even got admitted by well know universities. From 2002 onwards , Assembly Bill 540 (AB 540) , authorized by the late Marco Antonio Firebaugh , allows any student who has completed three years high school, and received a high school diploma or equivalent in California, regardless of their immigration status, are legally allowed to attend colleges and universities (Chavez,Soriano and Oliverez 256).Even though they are eligible to apply and be admitted to universities, but they are not eligible to apply for federal financial aid, without the help of financial aid, it is extremely difficult for them to afford tuition. In this case, it severely limits undocumented student’s chances for upward mobility.

Many proponents of the DREAM Act argue that “these kids were brought to the United States before they had a say in their life circumstances. Denying them hope and opportunity is punishment for an act beyond their control” (Fitz). Supporters of the DREAM Act continually advertise this argument; They claim that the children are innocent, and the United States is treating these children unjustly, but not rewarding them with “legal residence and expensive college tuition subsidies is simply withholding benefits to which they never had any entitlement in the first place” (Mehlman). These children are innocent, and deserve to be given an opportunity to come to the United States and have a good education, but it should not be through the DREAM Act or illegal immigration. It is not un-American to prioritize United States citizens, and other immigrants waiting to enter the country legally. A gross misconception is that DACA is only opposed by a radical few who want to hurt innocent children and families, but “a recent Quinnipiac University poll shows that Americans across the political spectrum favor tougher enforcement of existing immigration laws over rolling out the amnesty welcome wagon.” (Malkin). Despite this poll, many patrons of the DREAM Act think that continued amnesty is a right the United States is taking away, when in truth, the general public supports tougher immigration law. The DREAM literally goes against popular opinion, as it sponsors amnesty, and not harsher immigration

Imagine a world with an educated youth. Now imagine a parallel world where children are fighting to keep a smile on their faces, because, in truth, it is the only thing they have. In reality, this is what is happening. Youth, who have the privilege to be American citizens, are granted a very fulfilling education with a promise of a career. Children of illegal and undocumented immigrants do not have such luck. Some undocumented children in America have very promising futures and even a degree under their belts, but they cannot apply for a job because they have no proof of citizenship. A controversial topic is the matter of the DREAM Act (Development, Relief, and Education, for Alien Minors) which permits undocumented immigrants to obtain

There are around 11.7 million illegal Mexican immigrants living in the United States. Today many of the teenagers of those immigrants are obtaining a free access to college education. [How are the illegals obtaining (getting) access to the free college?] On average a college education would cost a legal citizen going to a four-year college, which doesn’t include books, transport, and personal expenses can range from $107,000 to around $370,000. For example, there is a teenager named Indira Esparza, an illegal immigrant, graduated from University City in San Diego, California. She was able to secure a spot attending an expensive and exclusive private school, that is for the elite, with a full scholarship, $10,000 and other material. Esparza does not have to pay for books, transportation, and

In a tight decision, the Supreme Court ruled that states cannot deny undocumented children the right to have public education because it would violate their 14th amendment rights. These children lacked responsibility for their status as undocumented, and in the ruling was found to be innocent victims of a status that is beyond their control. The courts state that

Angela M. Banks states, “while a number of states prohibit undocumented students from being eligible for in-state tuition rates, only Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina prohibit these students from enrolling in public colleges and universities” (1425). While American students can pay in-state tuition to attend college. Again, immigrant students are not given the same privilege. Furthermore, immigrant students have a hard enough time getting into college, now they might not even be able to pay for it due to the fact they are not being treated like any other in-state student trying to better themselves. In all, children who have been brought to America as a child by their parents should be able to have the same rights as an American citizen. It only seems fair since they had no say on whether they wanted to come to America or

Education is a really big part of life that is why every student deserves to get educated and have a career. Just because the kid’s parents made the mistake to bring them to the United States when they were small education should not be dined to them. Instead for living here all their life and learning all the things from here in

Most minors are placed under the care of the Department of Health and Human Services which offers education rights. After a while the child will be released into the United States with a family member or other “Guardian,” the child will still have education rights. So why wouldn 't they be allowed to attend school? They have the right to go, why not use it? Americans are just lazy, but complain when illegals come here and get a job. There are so many American people that depend on the system, and live off it that are perfectly fine to work. Those are the first to complain about the immigrants and the children getting an education, saying they can’t get a job because of the illegals ,and the undocumented children are taking his/her child’s education away. All children are entitled to a public education.

Our country is supposed to be one about opportunity, neglecting to provide an equal chance for these children to learn would contradict the notion that America is the land of opportunity.

Between 1990 and 2000, enrollment increased by 14 percent […] without school-age immigrants (about 250,000) and the children of immigrants (725,000 a year), school enrollment would not be rising at all

Children of undocumented immigrants are entitled to public education, because the U.S. constitution guarantees that migrant children and children born in the U.S. have equal educational opportunities. European immigrants migrated to the United States without question of their legal status, and were able to easily blend in, however, in the current time, race plays a great part in how people perceive undocumented migrants. Children are the future of our country and their education shouldn’t be determined by their parent’s legal status. I plan to use this article to explain how immigrants are treated differently than they were in the past, and how race may play a role into it.

Immigration laws have been a subject of debate throughout American history, especially in states such as California and Texas, where immigrant populations are high. Recently, some citizens have been questioning whether we should continue to educate the children of illegal immigrants. While this issue is steeped in emotional controversy, we must not allow divisive "us against them" rhetoric to cloud our thinking. Yes, educating undocumented immigrants costs us, but not educating them would cost us much more.