Government Should Provide Free Public Education to Children of Illegal Research Paper

Government Should Provide Free Public Education to Children of Illegal Immigrants - Research Paper Example It’s good for them and the nation as well. In addition, school administrators do not have the time, resources or inclination to fill the role of immigration authorities or law enforcement. The U.S. Department of Education recently made the right decision when it instructed all school districts to offer an education to all students within their jurisdiction regardless of their immigration status or prevailing public opinion. Educating young persons living in the country should not be subject ideological battles or political agendas. People who work or attend school in the U.S. without proper authorization cannot be compared with drug or weapon smugglers. The vast majority people living in the U.S. illegally do not commit crimes. Immigrant families are much like any other family and their children are innocent bystanders. However, if those children are not allowed to go to school they will not likely become productive citizens and become a burden on society in the form of welfar e recipients or criminals which costs the public more than educating them would. â€Å"If the children of illegal immigrants are not educated, they are more likely to end up as adults mired in despair and crime. If they continue to live in this country - and many will - their problems will become ours and affect taxpayers in other  ways.† (â€Å"Should,† 2011). ... Until that happens all public schools should welcome all children who walk into a classroom. The evidence and common sense dictates that all children should receive an education but ardent ideologues insist the kids of illegal immigrants not receive publically funded schooling. They believe it encourages illegal immigration, an added incentive to come and stay illegally in the U.S. indefinitely. The financial burden on schools is already stretching available funds to the limit. Adding non-citizens simply adds to the problem. â€Å"Most public schools are struggling to educate the students who are enrolled legally. The open-door policy promoted by the U.S. Department of Education places a greater burden on taxpayers at the expense of their own  children.† (â€Å"Should,† 2011) For example, the cost to educate children in the State of California totals $11,649 per student annually. Nearly one million students are children of illegal immigrants. Therefore, these students take more than $11 billion from a state education budget that totals $72 billion. (Izumi, 2010) The thinking of those opposed to education children of illegal immigrants is they would be more willing to go back to their respective places of origin if their kids could not be educated in the U.S. â€Å"The battle against illegal immigration must be fought on many fronts. When we wall off important ways to reduce it, we undercut other  efforts.† (â€Å"Should,† 2011). Americans are divided about down the middle on the issue. Support for allowing these children to receive public education stands at 47 percent while 49 percent oppose it. These numbers vary slightly by region. People in the Midwest are evenly split 50-50. Those on the Northeast favor it 52-48 percent while