
I don't know the answer to that. I am the high school ESOL teacher and there are certainly many students who were born in another country and then join their parents later. In that case, they may all be illegal, or the kids might be illegal, but the parents are not, or the parents might be illegal, but not the kids. It is hard to say since we can't ask. I do know some students are illegal since they tell me how they got here. I would think in elementary schools it would be different since you get kids in schools who were born here, but their parents were not. In any case, you can't ask, so who knows? It also seems that there are many people who come here alone and are illegal, and often times they have family back in their countries that they are sending money back to. |
Found this online (but haven't crunched the numbers myself so am not sure of the accuracy): "Estimates based on Census Bureau data, suggest that there are about 1.5 million illegal alien children and an additional 2 million U.S.-born children of illegal aliens in K-12 classrooms across the country." |
No t sure why some PPs find the word "illegal" dehumanizing - it is a fact of law, nothing more. While on one level I belieive it is a noble cause to offer a public education to all children in the US, regardless of their or their parents' legal status in this country, it is a legitimate question to ask. That is why the US Census Bureau publishes any such data. Afterall, I had to sign an affidavit to ensure that I would be financially responsible for my LEGAL alien spouse (US Permanent Resident, also known as "Green Card" holder), for the first 10 years in the US - he is not qualified for public assitance because he has alien status. He is not "dehumanized" by this fact of life - he has a legal status different from citizenship which gives him different rights in our country. |
For me it's not the word "illegal" so much as the combination "illegal kids." The kids aren't "illegal," they are residing illegally in the United States. |