Dr. Allison Parker
ENG 102
19 June 2014
Does simply being illegal strip you
of your human right to education? Living
in Arizona for the past eight years, I have personally noticed a double
standard between documented and undocumented students. Many students and parents discriminate
against undocumented children. After
experiencing such incidents, I was not only astounded, but also disappointed in
humanity. I personally believe education
is a right every human being owns, and it should be granted to illegal
immigrants regardless of their citizenship status. Therefore, for today’s topic I would like to
discuss illegal immigrants and whether they entitled to equal right to public
education as American citizens. To
support my argument I will highlight the views of American citizens who support
and disapprove of my perspective. Then,
I will conclude my case by citing the constitution to show being documented or
undocumented should not restrain children from receiving an education.
A warning to my readers, the views
I am about to mention comes from debate.org and the general public comments on
a New York Times article relating to the topic.
Therefore, even though their points might not be valid, I am just aiming
to show the common views in order to portray where American citizens stand on
this topic. I will start by mentioning
the views of the supporters and then dive into protestors.
On the article “Are Children of
Illegal Immigrants Entitled to a Public Education?”, the commenter Sam A.
shares his views as he says, “I think children of illegal immigrants are
entitled to an American education because they did not choose to come here. If
they were born here, they did not choose that either. They should be entitled
to an American education” (Griffee). According to Sam, it is not just for the schools
to judge the children based on their parents’ actions, since they are just the
victims. Another anonymous commenter from
debate.org shares, “It is important that these children be educated in order
for them to take part and play a role in our society by becoming a productive,
law-abiding, tax-paying citizen. Having the privilege of being an active member
of our society when they have reached adulthood will allow them to contribute
not only to our society, but to our economy as well and to do otherwise would
be counterproductive”. According to this
commenter, granting illegal children the right to education is for the
betterment of the society, since they would able to receive the skills to pay
back the society for all the opportunities they have previously received. Both of these comments sum up the overall
debates that most American supporters share regarding illegal children’s right
to American public education.
 |
| Quote that seeks to eliminate the blame of illegal children's for their parents actions. |
In
contrast, the American citizens who oppose this notion share a complete different
set of thoughts. An anonymous commenter
on debate.org shows his/her opposition by saying, “They are ILLEGAL immigrants.
While I do believe everyone has the right to get an education, they do NOT have
a right to get an education in America. If they want an education do it in
their country where they are a LEGAL citizen.”
According to this commenter, even though these children own the right to
education, they do not own that right in a foreign land where they entered
illegally. This places them on a similar
level as criminals, who do not share similar rights as other citizens. Another anonymous commenter on debate.org
states, “Never their parents do not pay tax, why should we pay for their
education?” According to this commenter,
it is unfair to legal citizens since undocumented children are like parasites
that feed on free resources. These
resources could be used on other measures.
These two comments shape the general views of American citizens who
oppose illegal children’s right to education in America.
 |
| Quote that highlights the ruling of Plyler vs. Doe case. |
Now that we
have developed the general idea of the American populous that approves or
objects to illegal children’s right to American public education, let’s see
what the American foundation, the Constitution, has to say. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Plyler vs. Doe in 1982. It stated that undocumented children and
young adults are entitled to attend public primary and secondary school just as
U.S. citizens and permanent residents (“Public Education for Immigrant Students”
1). The Plyler vs. Doe was defended on a constitutional basis. The court said, “By denying these children a
basic education we deny them the ability to live within the structure of our
civic institutions, and foreclose any realistic possibility that they will
contribute in even the smallest way to the progress of our Nation” (“Public Education
for Immigrant Students” 1). Furthermore,
the Court also stated holding children liable for their parent’s illegal
actions “does not comport with fundamental conceptions of justice” (“Public Education for Immigrant Students” 2). Additionally, to answer the opposition views,
the court stated, “Even if barring one group of children from schools was
likely to improve the overall quality of education, the school district would
still have to justify applying the prohibition to undocumented children” (“Public
Education for Immigrant Students” 2). Therefore,
even if evidence existed that showed incorporating undocumented students in American
public school lowered the quality of American children’s education, the courts
decision would have been similar. This
shows the court does not believe that allocating American resources towards
illegal children significantly effects American public education. Thus, through the case Plyler vs. Doe the American government constitutionally addresses
all the concerns of supporters and protestors by granting the right to American
public education to undocumented children.
 |
| Book by Michael A. Olivas that supports undocumented children's right to American Education |
As directed
by the American Government and Constitution, every human being deserves the
right to education regardless of citizenship status. I mention this fact not only to validate my
stance on this notion, but also to show the American citizens who hold
contrasting viewpoints. Everyone is
entitled to his or her stance and voice.
I respect and acknowledge where the opposition comes from. However, today, through discussing this
topic, I wish to change the way many students and some parents view undocumented
children. I do not expect the people who
disapprove to completely accept the undocumented children, but I do expect them to
show their respect to these children.
The measure their parents took to provide their children a better
future, serves as a testimony to how much they value education. Though it might not be ethical for them to
break laws to meet personal ends, we, as human being, still carry a moral
obligation to other people. Does giving
opportunity and hope to an underprivileged really hurts our pockets? If we were placed in their shoes, would we
not take the same measures to secure the happiness of our children? I leave my readers today with these questions,
so they could contemplate on these thoughts.
Work Cited:
Griffee, Susannah L. "Are Children of Illegal Immigrants
Entitled to a Public Education?" The Learning Network: Are
Children of Illegal Immigrants Entitled to a Public Education Comments. The
New York Times, 6 Oct. 2011. Web. 19 June 2014.
<http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/06/are-children-of-illegal-immigrants-entitled-to-a-publiceducation/?_php=true&_type=blogs&module=Search&mabReward=relbias%3Ar&_r=0>.
"Should Illegal Immigrants Be Allowed to Get an Education in
the U.S.?" The Premier Online Debate Website. N.p., n.d. Web.
19 June 2014. <http://www.debate.org/opinions/should-illegal-immigrants-be-allowed-to-get-an-education-in-the-u-s>.
"Public Education for Immigrant Students: States Challenge
Supreme Court's Decision in Plyler v. Doe." Immigration Policy
Center. American Immigration Council, 15 June 2012. Web. 19 June 2014.
<http://www.immigrationpolicy.org/just-facts/public-education-immigrant-students-states-challenge-supreme-court%25E2%2580%2599s-decision-plyler-v-do>.
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