Immigrants Robbed of an Education

Should children of immigrants be able to pursue a college degree? In 1996 Congress passed a law barring states from giving unlawful residents "post-secondary" education benefits. According to the Pew Hispanic Center in 2008 there were over 11.9 million immigrants currently residing in the United States. That is more than double the amount there was in 2007. The controversy remains between residents of the US and politicians. To deny any child the right to an education should be ruled unjust.

In 2009 the DREAM Act was introduced to the U.S by Senator Dick Durbin as a bill. The purpose of the Development, Relief and Education of Alien Minors Act is to help those individuals who meet certain requirements, have an opportunity to enlist in the Military or go to college and have a path to citizenship which they otherwise would not have without legislation (Abaddon). There are many people fighting for this act as well as many people opposing the act. Today, there are two states in support of the Dream Act, Missouri and Arkansas. Missouri and Arkansas have formed a union to fight for the Dream Act. They have traveled from their respective states to Washington, D.C. to protest and, hopefully, help the decision to pass the bill clearer.

America prides itself on being the land of the free and the most diverse country in the world. How can we be diverse if we don't allow immigrants of different countries to reside in our country? Children of immigrants are not asked to come into the United States they are brought over by their parents. They are then forced to go to school. The school system accepts them and allows them to be enrolled. These children go through our school system from pre-k through high school, but once they make it through high school they are denied acceptance to college because of a mere technicality. The author of immigration and U.S. schools states "The successful adaptations of each wave of immigrants and their children depend on the society's response to newcomers, and especially on the effectiveness of the U.S. educational system"(Corwin 2). In other words he is stating that the success of immigration lies in the hands of the citizens as well as the education system. If the citizens approve of illegal immigrants becoming citizens and being able to enter the educational system they will make a huge impact in our country. These illegal immigrants are just waiting for the chance to prove their worth to the U.S.

Today the primary argument against the education of immigrant children is the cost to the United States. "The U.S. Census Bureau just released 2008 figures showing the national average total per-pupil funding from all revenue sources was $12,028"(Izumi). You would multiply this amount by the 6.8 million students enrolled in our school system today. The average cost for immigrant students total over 44 million dollars a year. The opposing side argues that it isn't fair for the tax payers to have to pay for immigrant children to attend school. They believe that their tax money should be going towards their own children.

Yes, I agree that allowing immigrants to attend school is very costly for the United States especially in this economic hardship that we are experiencing. What I don't understand is why is this a bad thing? Today, American children drop out of school as early as junior high school. They choose to not participate in receiving a free education. The majority of these immigrants who leave their countries do not come here to burden anyone but to try and make a better life for their children. In many countries the school systems aren't great; they know that they can't