Thread: SOB - Children pay high price in our fight over immigration

Sandra McAnany: Children pay high price in our fight over immigration
Story Discussion By Sandra McAnany / Norwalk | Posted: Sunday, January 10, 2010 12:15 am | (14) Comments

The exact number of undocumented immigrants in the United States is not known but is estimated at 12 million, including 1.8 million children. According to the Pew Hispanic Center, 75,000 to 115,000 undocumented immigrants live in Wisconsin.

And no matter how we feel about undocumented immigrants, we need to remember the innocent children whose lives are affected every day by the lack of progress toward reforming immigration regulations.

Imagine life as an undocumented child. Children come here illegally with their parents, grow up as Americans and then realize their futures are on hold. An estimated 400 to 650 undocumented children graduate from Wisconsin high schools yearly. Nationwide, there are about 65,000. Even though they are motivated and may have lived in the U.S. most of their lives, the children inherit the limits of being undocumented.

There is no federal financial aid for college for them. Only 11 states, including Wisconsin, allow them to pay in-state tuition. Their potential goes unrealized. Instead of becoming teachers, engineers and other professionals, they are stuck in low-wage jobs.

These kids are not just statistics but are also our friends and neighbors. One example is a young man in Monroe County who came here at age 12 with his parents, learned English, graduated from high school and now is working in retail. He is going to start taking college classes each semester but has no way of becoming legal, even though this is the country he loves. His story is repeated over and over in communities across the state.

Other children come to the U.S. on their own, without a relative. In 2008, 7,211 children were known to have entered the U.S. without documentation, searching for family or a better life, without understanding the legal consequences. When children are caught, they are often held be-hind bars, sometimes for years.

Providing immigration "prisons" for children, families and adults is a lucrative industry. The 32,000-bed network for undocumented immigrants costs taxpayers $2.4 billion a year. We are throwing this money away on secure detention instead of using cheaper methods to ensure low-risk immigrants show up for immigration court appearances.

Even children who are U.S. citizens are affected by the lack of reform. From 1998 to 2007, authorities deported more than 100,000 undocumented parents of U.S. citizen children. An estimated 3.1 million U.S. citizen children have at least one un-documented parent - one immigration raid or traffic stop from a family torn apart.

After two-thirds of Hispanics voted for Barack Obama, I thought reform would be a priority, but it has stayed on the back burner. The Dream Act (S.B. 729) could make a difference for undocumented immigrants. Under Dream Act provisions, undocumented youths could be eligible for a conditional path to citizenship in exchange for pursuing at least a two-year college degree or entering military service. Children would have to prove they arrived in the U.S. before the age of 16, prove that they have resided in the country for at least five years and have graduated from a U.S. high school or obtained a GED.

The Dream Act would give undocumented children a path to a better future. These children could turn into adults making higher salaries and paying into the tax system. Undocumented children are human beings, our friends and neighbors. They deserve compassion and a path to turn dreams into reality.

Posted in Opinion, Columnists on Sunday, January 10, 2010 12:15 am

http://www.lacrossetribune.com/news/opi ... 03286.html

The Dream Act would give undocumented children a path to a better future. These children could turn into adults making higher salaries and paying into the tax system.

Except that it's illegal for them to work here. The logic of these people astounds me.

I'm getting really tired of these poor, poor children articles. What about the poor citizen children whose educations are compromised by hundreds of illegals in their schools.

Children pay high price

The only problem is the article names the wrong victims. It's the American children, you know the ones who's forefathers made and paid for the benefits these thieves lay claim rights to. Go home to the land of your forefathers the country of your father's house.

This article is written to garner people's sympathy; I suspect the writer knows good and well that most of the illegals' kids in our schools are in fact citizen anchor children who will be legally eligible to compete with American students for college grants, financial aid, scholarships, etc.

It sucks to be here illegally. Oh well.

My 'give a damn' broke after 5-1-2006.

Those poor children are way ahead of the children in their homelands. Here, they get free healthcare, free dental, free school lunches, subsidized housing, food stamps and free schooling.

It never ceases to amaze me that the option of assisting the poor in their own countries, which would be infinitely cheaper for us and them, is never even considered by the open borders crowd and the media.

The Dream Act would give undocumented children a path to a better future. These children could turn into adults making higher salaries and paying into the tax system.

What a crock! This Dream act would be a nightmare for children of legal immigrants and Americans. It will take funding (that will be their next step..funding for illegals) and seats from kids who rightfully belong here. These illegals can't work here, so I could care less. They can take their taxpayer funded K-12 education and go back to improve their home countries. They and their parents are not wanted or needed here. Their US born sibs are the responsibility of their parents, take them with you too. ENOUGH! GET OUT!

The DREAM ACT will give legal status and a path to citizenship to the illegal immigrant children who complete 2 YEARS of college or serve in the military.
Considering the estimate of 1.8 million schoolkids--this is a back door amnesty. It would only encourage more illegal to bring their kids here.

How can our country justify charging International tuition rates to other foreign students but give any that manage to cross the border the same rates as citizens?
There would also be lots of scholarships available for these "poor" kids, that American citizens will not qualify for.
The Dream Act would flood our colleges with Hispanics, just like our primary schools are flooded now.

Originally Posted by Texan123

The DREAM ACT will give legal status and a path to citizenship to the illegal immigrant children who complete 2 YEARS of college or serve in the military.
Considering the estimate of 1.8 million schoolkids--this is a back door amnesty. It would only encourage more illegal to bring their kids here.

1. The people who benefit are not children, they are adults.

2. They don't even need 2 years college or military, graduation from Jose's welding trade school is enough. I am sure Jose will do a record business in fake diplomas.

I am new here, am I supposed to feel sorry for these people? In my opinion, EVERY single child that was born to an illegal immigrant is NOT a US citizen. These kids need to be deported along with their parents!! As a parent myself, I have nothing but unconditional love for my child. I would have NEVER raised a child in a criminal environment, because I love my child. If I were deported, I would NEVER leave my child behind for my own selfish reasons.

It seems to me that illegals care for their children about as much as Michael Vick cares for dogs.