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11/23/14, "Flood of illegal immigrants pour into NYC public schools," NY Post, Susan Edelman and Isabel Vincent
"New York has sent a warning to its schools: Expect more illegal immigrants. The city Department of Education has told principals it plans this
year to enroll 2,350 migrant children from Central America who crossed
into the United States unaccompanied — with many more to come.
“It is expected that children will continue to arrive in large
numbers in the coming years,” says a DOE memo to principals obtained by
The Post.
The notice comes as the city rolls out a $50 million red carpet for
1,662 minors who crossed the border this summer to escape violence and
gangs in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.
In the “surge,” 5,000 of the 63,000 migrant kids caught trying to
cross US borders — or who turned themselves in for refuge — have been
released to relatives or other “sponsors” in New York state.
Most live
with other illegal immigrants.
In the city, Queens has received the highest number of unaccompanied
children, 732, followed by Brooklyn (434), The Bronx (433), Manhattan
(63) and Staten Island (less than 50), federal reports show.
The recent arrivals join an estimated 350,000 children of illegal
immigrants already in New York state — about 12 percent of the
public-school population.
The DOE refused to discuss the exact numbers of recently enrolled
children, claiming it would violate student privacy. Officials ignored
questions about the cost.
The city’s per-pupil spending in the 2012-2013 academic year averaged
$20,749, which would bring the total for the migrant kids to $48.7
million.
But the costs could soar, because the youths — many of them victims
of poverty and abuse — will need state-mandated English-language
instruction, free or reduced-price lunch, and a range of other services,
including psychological counseling, medical and dental.
“The DOE believes that every child has a right to a great education, and
we are committed to providing children who have escaped violence with
the academic foundation and access to services that they need to
establish a path to long-term achievement,” said DOE spokeswoman Devora
Kaye.
But parent leaders worry the influx will strain school budgets.
“Unless the mayor, governor or president announces that funds will be
made available immediately, our already-struggling schools will have to
provide more,” said Sam Pirozzolo, vice president of the New York City
Parents Union.
“NYC public schools are already failing to meet the needs of the
students they have — 70 percent cannot read, write and do math at grade
level. How can they handle thousands of new students competing for the
same services without things getting worse?”
Under US law, all children have a right to enroll in school and receive government services, regardless of immigration status.
On Long Island and upstate, several school districts have been
accused of blocking enrollment of migrant youths by demanding a birth
certificate, proof of residency and education records from their home
countries.
DOE has instructed staff to register them without delay and follow up later on documentation. “In the city, they don’t tend to give you a problem,” said Manhattan-based immigration lawyer John Cavallo.
DOE representatives even sit at a desk in Immigration Court downtown,
where the migrant kids appear for hearings, to help them enroll in
school and sign up for free health care.
In court, Melvin Bonilla, 17, said he traveled alone from Honduras on
a “scary” journey to the United States four months ago. He lives with
an uncle in Brooklyn but has skipped school.
Bonilla told Immigration Judge Virna Wright he finished sixth grade in
Honduras and had not enrolled in a school here because his uncle wanted
him to learn English first and was paying for lessons. Wright
instructed him to register.
Children can stay in the country if they convince authorities that
they faced harm or persecution in their native land. Judges may also
grant “special immigrant juvenile” status to a child found abused,
neglected or abandoned.
The migrant kids are not directly affected by President Obama’s
executive orders last week to let 5 million illegal immigrants stay in
the country. One order exempts from deportation the parents of permanent
residents or anyone born in the United States. Another expands relief
to “Dreamers” brought here illegally before age 16 — and before Jan. 1,
2010.
The orders place “recent arrivals” in the same priority for
deportation as suspected terrorists and felons. The feds are processing
the recent flood of migrant kids more quickly, Cavallo said.
“While others wait years for their hearings, the recent arrivals get
scheduled within weeks or a few months at most,” he said....
Obama vowed to deport “criminals, not children,” and critics
contend his actions will encourage more kids to flee to the United
States to get amnesty." via Lucianne
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Comment: Too bad for the Kurds and Yazidis that they don't speak Spanish.
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