I added a significant amount between draft one and draft two. I revised the main views section and I added a conclusion that summed up my paper. However, there were still some revisions and editing done between this draft and the final.

Danielle Arellano

Dr. Brendan Shapiro

Writing 39C F16

18 October 2016

The Right to an Education

1. Statement of Problem

Figure 1  47.8% of the nation's immigrant population has less than a high school education (Pew Research Center).

In a country that prides itself on providing equal opportunity for all, there remains a widening gap between immigrant and non-immigrant families with regard to their children’s level of education and social mobility. The immigration debate has been a long-lasting issue for the nation, and even more so for states like California, which border other countries. For years, the topic of immigration, specifically those emigrating from Latin America, has generated a heated debate among politicians who argue whether or not it is the country’s responsibility to provide the same resources to these “illegal aliens.” Although this is a moral dilemma of whether or not to help the welfare of these children and their families, there is also an economic dilemma. For lawmakers and the nation, there is an economic issue of deciding if taxpayers’ money should go toward funding educational programs to aid children who are not citizens of the country. In California alone, it is estimated that 68% of the undocumented population comes from Mexico. Of elementary to high school children who attend a California school, about 13% of them live with an immigrant parent (PPIC). As a whole, a large portion of the nation’s Hispanic immigrants have less than a high school education according to the Pew Research Center (Figure 1).   For many immigrant children who live in poverty, the immigration debate and policy changes have lasting effects on their welfare, including their ability to receive a quality education.

1. Recent Event

According to the LA School Report, in February 2016protestors including educators, lawmakers, and teachers unions protested in Southern California condemning the nationwide effort to remove undocumented immigrants including children. Across the nation, 121 people were rounded up and placed in custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The recent ICE activities comes from an effort to remove immigrant families and their children from the U.S. California is one of the states with the highest percentage of children that are either undocumented immigrants themselves, or come from a mixed- status family. The report states that between 30 and 40 percent of LAUSD’s students are of mixed-status families and are subject to deportation. Many of the educators and advocates from LAUSD report that their students are under severe stress and are fearful of the status of their parents or even themselves. They also report that many students often arrive to school “mentally and emotionally unprepared to learn,” affecting their performance in school. This stress not only affects the elementary-aged children, but stress increases as the children reach adolescence throughout high school and college (LA School Report).

The report points out an issue that not only affects the families that are susceptible to the new deportations, but also the children and their ability to get a basic education. One day these children could be sitting in their classroom learning how to add and subtract, and the next they could be sitting in an ICE office with their family. The reality is that new immigration policy can affect the outcome of a child’s ability to receive an education equivalent to those who do not have to fear over their legal status, whether it be their own or their families’.

III.             Historical Contexts

Early on, people did not have to worry about their immigration status and immigration was welcomed. Both immigration and equal rights to education have a long drawn history, but it is necessary to get both histories to understand the problem of immigrant children’s right to an education. Although people have migrated for centuries, modern immigration began in post WWII to help U.S. society with the war effort. The Bracero Program was an agreement between Mexico and the U.S. where immigrant laborers were welcomed into the U.S. to aid in farm work while America was at war. Immigration began to become an issue between the 1980s and 90s when migration patterns shifted and the U.S. enforced a naturalization process for immigrants to become citizens (USCIS).

Along with new enforcements, new legislation opposing immigrants was added to California’s 1994 general election ballot. The legislation was known as Prop 187 or the “Save our State” Initiative and barred state and other local agencies from providing public education, health care, and a variety of other social services to immigrants (CalVoter). The proposition was passed and legalized; however, health care providers and schools did not require proof of legal residence to provide services. Many saw the denial of public education as unconstitutional because had been the topic of a Supreme Court case in 1982.

The debate over immigrant children’s education began to come to light in a 1982 Supreme Court Case where the Court prohibited states from denying free education to immigrants and charging tuition based on immigration status in Plyler v. Doe (American Immigration Council). The court ruled that it was unconstitutional to deny education to these children because it violated the equal opportunity clause from the Fourteenth Amendment. In more recent times, the No Child Left Behind Act was passed in 2002 to ensure that all children receive an equal opportunity to get an education (Department of Education). Despite the policy, many immigrant children still do not receive a quality education or live in the fear of being deported. This trend also coincides with the fact that immigrant children earn less as adults, and their wages have been

Figure 2 This graph shows the differences in income between immigrants and non-immigrants. Immigrants earn significantly less than non-immigrants. This discrepancy is due, in part, to a lack of education (Haskins).

steadily falling since the 1940s. Figure 5 shows the differences in wage distribution as of  2000, but it is projected that their wages will continue to slowly decline over the next decade (Haskins). This decrease in wages would eventually affect the overall economy because immigrants would then have to rely on more social services to help provide for their families. Education plays a key role in the lives of immigrant children and their futures.

1. Summarize and Evaluate Main Views of Your Problem

In the debate over immigration and education, there are several sides and arguments. There are the states, national government, social activists, and scholars who all have different viewpoints on child immigration and education. In an effort to help aid immigration reform, President Obama attempted to pass an executive order that would give amnesty to immigrant children that would make it easier for them to pursue higher education known as DACA . Although at the national level, many states became involved in the issue and saw it as a states’ rights problem as it would ultimately be taxpayers’ dollars funding the programs.  Solicitor General Verilli argued  that states did not have the right to get involved with the policy since immigration is a national matter (CNN).  Even though the states are payng the costs of increased immigration, they do not have a say in the matter. The states must carry the burden of immigration as well as school and other institutions.

Aside from the national and state governments, there are some advocates who believe that the right to education for immigrant children only places a greater burden on schools and their budget. In an interview with San Jose’s Mercury News, Ira Mehlman, a spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration reform argues that, “Tuition has been rising steadily. People are struggling to get through college, and the people they are most concerned about are people who are in the country illegally.” Mehlman’s argument is one that many Americans share. Many American- born students already struggle in school, yet there is a large push to aid those who were not born in the country or entered illegally.

Another argument is from teachers and advocates who believe there is a moral obligation to provide immigrant children  equal access to education. In response to ICE raids, Michelle King, superintendent of LAUSD announced, “The District welcomes all students and all families and is committed to supporting their right to live, learn and work in their communities” (LAUSD). Like Superintendent King, many other educators share this same sentiment that all children have a right to education without feeling the burden of possible deportation.

According to Lisa Garcia Bedolla, a professor in education and political science from UC Berkeley, immigrant children deserve to receive an education because it would not only help with their own socioeconomic mobility, but it would also help the U.S. economy. In her research, she projects that the lack of educational attainment in Latino immigrants will ultimately decrease national per capita income by two percent by 2020 (24). Not only does immigration affect the overall education of the children, but a lack of education will ultimately leave its mark on U.S. society. Her findings reveal that a lack of education for immigrants would negatively affect per capita income, consequently placing a burden on the economy.

 On the other hand there is also Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigrant Studies, who argues that providing the resources for education for immigrants would only waste taxpayer’s money. He believes that providing education for immigrant children only opens the door for more illegal immigration. Policy in favor of immigrant children’s education would only allow children to reap the benefits of education while their parents would still remain without contributing to society (Jost).

Also against education for immigrant children are Marc Ferris and Spencer Raley from the Federation for American Immigration Reform. Like Krikorian, they also argue that providing education for immigrant children is not a good use of taxpayer’s dollars. Because English is not immigrant children’s first language, most are categorized with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) and are placed in special school programs. The  cost of funding such programs places an added strain on schools since spending to upgrade schools has dropped 37% between 2008 and 2013. Additionally, 10% or more of students in California schools are enrolled in LEP programs and the programs are growing faster than the schools can keep up with. The two also point out that 98.9% of the cost to fund such programs is left to taxpayers at the local and state levels. This means that most of the school budgets go towards language programs and less is spent on funds for new textbooks or science programs (Ferris and Raley). Overall, taxpayers are left with the burden of funding language and other programs put in place to aid immigrant children’s education. Increased immigration places a burden on the taxpayers, but on the school as well as they struggle to keep up with the programs and provide for the rest of their students.

1. Conclusion

Typically, immigration has been focused on adult immigrants, but now the focus has turned to children and the implications their immigration status has on their education and their ability to contribute back into society. On one side of the debate are educators who believe that all children have the right to an education, no matter their legal status. The Equal Rights Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment supports this argument; however, there are still people who oppose the idea. On the opposing side of the problem are immigration reformers who believe that immigrant children place a burden on schools and their budget at the taxpayer’s expense. Immigration will constantly remain a national problem and be an even greater problem in border states such as California. The question remains of how to cope with the increased burden of children who seek an education in the U.S. Ultimately these children will grow up and have to contribute back to society, but the extent to which they are able to give back to society depends on their level of education, if any, they receive.

                                   

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

De Vogue, Ariane, and Tal Kopan. "Deadlocked Supreme Court Deals Big Blow to Obama          Immigration Plan." CNN Politics. CNN, 23 June 2016. Web. 9 Oct. 2016.

"Every Student Succeeds Act." U.S. Department of Education. N.p., 2015. Web. 17 Oct. 2016.

Garcia Bedolla, Lisa. "Latino Education, Civic Engagement, and the Public Good." Review of      Research in Education (2012): n. pag. SagePub. Web. 16 Oct. 2016.

Ferris, Marc, and Spencer Raley. "The Elephant in the Classroom: Mass Immigration's Impact on Public Education." Federation for American Immigration Reform (2016): n. pag. FAIR.    Sept. 2016. Web. 22 Oct. 2016.

Jost, Kenneth. "Immigration Conflict." CQ Researcher 9 Mar. 2012: 229-52. Web. 8 Oct.             2016.

Haskins, Ron. "Immigration: Wages, Education and Mobility." Brookings. The Brookings             Institution, 25 July 2007. Web. 9 Oct. 2016.

Hill, Laura, and Joseph Hayes. "Just the Facts Undocumented Immigrants." Public Policy             Institute of California. N.p., June 2015. Web. 17 Oct. 2016.

"Late Twentieth Century." U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. N.p., 4 Feb. 2016. Web.     17 Oct. 2016.

Molina, Alejandra. "Why More Undocumented Students in California Are Pursuing Grad             School." The Mercury News. N.p., 13 Oct. 2016. Web. 15 Oct. 2016.

Nicosia, Mareesa. "Deportation Fears Taking a Toll on Immigrant Children’s Education." LA        School Report. N.p., 2 Feb. 2016. Web. 15 Oct. 2016.

"Prop 187: Illegal Aliens. Ineligibility for Public Services." The California Voter Foundation.        N.p., 6 Aug. 1996. Web. 21 Oct. 2016.

"Public Education for Immigrant Students: States Challenge Supreme Court’s Decision in Plyler v. Doe." American Immigration Council. N.p., 15 June 2012. Web. 8 Oct. 2016.

"Statement from Superintendent Michelle King On Immigration Raids Issue." Los Angeles           Unified School District. N.p., 28 Jan. 2016. Web. 16 Oct. 2016.

"Statistical Portrait of Hispanics in the United States." Pew Research Center. N.p., 19 Apr. 2016.             Web. 18 Oct. 2016.