Posted on 11/19/2001 1:50:55 PM PST by sarcasm
Monday, November 19, 2001 - Tightened border controls could mean that Latin American children in U.S. schools who go south for a traditional Christmas break can't come back.
Large numbers of students could be affected in districts such as Denver and Commerce City that have concentrations of undocumented Mexican immigrants, as well as rural areas with itinerant workers. Immigrants, immigrants' advocates and educators say some schools could lose students, while others might actually gain enrollment as families who would normally go back and forth stay put instead. "We usually know in advance if they're going to leave, but whether we get them back, I have no idea," said Marion Garcia, a community liaison at Denver's Smedley Elementary School. The issue highlights a longstanding paradox of U.S. immigration policy. Such children are in the country illegally but in school legally, said Nina Pruneda-Mun~iz an Immigration and Naturalization Service spokeswoman in Denver. Many Mexican expatriates return to their hometowns for several weeks each Christmas, said Pam Martinez of Padres Unidos, a group that advocates for Latino students in Denver. They often travel in big car caravans, using legal border crossings in both directions, she said. "Crossing back into Mexico is no big thing" and usually getting back into the States isn't either, she said. But it could be this year, as border agents toughen up following the Sept. 11 attacks. "Everybody that is in the United States illegally should be concerned," said Enrique Ray, a spokesman for the El Paso border station, which many Colorado-bound migrants use. "We are under the highest state of alert and we are under mandate from Washington to inspect very closely every single person that crosses to the United States." In July, El Paso admitted Carmen Dolores Caraveo, her husband, and their two school-age children with a pass that entitled them to remain near the border for six months. Instead the family came to Denver, enrolled the kids at Kepner Middle and Castro Elementary schools, and have no plans to return anytime soon. Caraveo said she wants to return to their hometown of Chihuahua for Christmas, then come back to Denver so she can continue looking for work, but they decided not to risk it. Mary Ott is the migrant education coordinator for Adams, Arapahoe, Douglas, Gilpin, Grand, Hayden, Lake, Park, Routt, Sheridan and Summit counties, and she said she's concerned a migrant family might get tripped up by the new anti-terrorism laws that allow indefinite incarceration. "I'm going to talk to my parents and discourage them from trying to go back down to Mexico for a while. I do not ask them if they are undocumented, but I tell them, if you are undocumented, I would discourage you from making that trip," Ott said. Even legal immigrants are nervous about Christmas travel. Lorenza Vargas immigrated legally from Juarez 33 years ago, and her husband, children and four school-age grandchildren are all Denver natives. It's unwillingness to sit in the growing lines at the border that will keep the family in Denver for the holidays, Vargas said. While Denver Public Schools welcomes anybody who shows up needing an education, it doesn't want to dispense legal advice, spokesman Mark Stevens said. "The district definitely will not be providing general advice to families who are planning to leave," Stevens said. "There are just too many varieties of family and work situations to develop one blanket piece of advice for everybody." Denver's school board president urged parents not to do anything that would disrupt their kids' schooling. "If the borders get tighter and it's harder for them to get back, then hopefully they will take that into account before they leave and consider the implications for their children's education," Elaine Gantz Berman said. Denver's West High School already has one student stranded in Peru, guidance counselor Diane Lloyd said. On the other hand, as word gets around that border crossings are getting harder, the number of undocumented students in U.S. schools could actually rise, said Cecilia Mun~oz, vice president for policy of the National Council of La Raza in Washington, D.C. "People who would have otherwise intended to be here temporarily end up staying because their opportunities to leave and come back are so much more limited," Mun~oz said. Schools are prohibited from asking the immigration status of their students. Denver Public Schools has 13,000 monolingual Spanish-speakers and school board member Lucia Guzman estimates 60 percent to 70 percent of them are Mexican nationals who lack proper immigration papers. "They may be legal, but probably not," Guzman said. Denver's Mexican consulate had no advice for families unsure whether to travel. Those who have their paperwork squared away "should be confident and have all the proper documents to go back and forth," spokesman Mario Hernandez said. What of the many who don't? "I don't have any comment regarding those students right now," Hernandez said. He said families with questions should call the consulate at 303-331-1110, 1112, 1860 or 1870. It's possible that despite the INS' best efforts, nothing will change. "My parents have not expressed any concerns about crossing the border, but they really never have in the past either," said Valdez Elementary principal Tom Archuleta. "Even with high security they have their ways of getting to and from Mexico."
Marxist anti-american Clinton cronies and NEA bank accounts.
WHAT A CONTRADICTION!
I believe what was meant to be stated was the schools would lose FUNDING (either federal or state) due to less students being enrolled. Thats a good thing, but not in the eyes of the teachers' union. Less students means less need for funding.
Yeah, and they publish the article with a title saying losing illegals will hurt schools. Of course, it will help the taxpayer, but who cares about them? The schools need to rip off more money to educate illegal children and increase the size of the NEA.
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