There are very few concepts that I support almost unreservedly, but universal access to basic education is one of them. The right of every American citizen to receive a “free” education through grade twelve is fairly uncontroversial. However, I believe that this right should be fully extended to the children of unauthorized immigrants as well, whether the children themselves were born in the United States or in another country. Unauthorized immigrants have legally been able to receive a free education since 1982. The Supreme Court ruled at that time in Plyler v. Doe that denying children an education is a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment, which guarantees all persons—not only citizens—equal protection under the law.
This might sound like the end of the problem, but states have found ways to get around that decision. Alabama passed the Beason-Hammon Taxpayer and Citizen Protection Act in 2011, which, among other things, required primary and secondary school students to disclose their immigration status. It did not directly prohibit unauthorized immigrants from attending schools, but the number of Latino students in public schools decreased by 13 percent in the following year.
To be clear, I don’t have anything inherently against people who disagree with the Supreme Court’s decisions. Dissent is healthy. In the words of a poster hanging above the window in Steve Weissberg’s classroom, dissent is patriotic. But denying people basic rights and intentionally creating an atmosphere of fear and distrust is very much not, and I believe that education is one of the vital and unconditional rights of anyone living in the United States—not that it shouldn’t be in other countries, but we have the infrastructure and the resources to make it happen.
Citizens opposed to free education for unauthorized immigrants will be quick to point out the enormous cost of educating students, and will mention that schools’ resources are already being stretched thin. They will likely point out that the parents of unauthorized immigrants don’t even pay taxes, and that their children do not deserve to benefit from an educational system supported by these taxes. These people have some valid points. Educating a child is expensive, and educating a child whose first language is not English is even more expensive. The Federation for American Immigration Reform estimated in 2014 that it cost the United States $761 million to educate immigrants who had arrived illegally that year. Other sources have estimated that it costs roughly $30 billion per year to educate the children of unauthorized immigrants.
This sounds like a lot of money, but in the same year the United States spent a total of $621 billion on primary and secondary education. And the money it takes to educate unauthorized immigrants is money well spent. There is a clear correlation between one’s level of education and one’s income and unemployment rate; according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, workers with a mere high-school diploma have an unemployment rate three percent lower than those without a high-school diploma and earn on average $180 more per week. By providing unauthorized immigrants with a basic education, we are increasing the likelihood that they will be able to support themselves. While uneducated unauthorized immigrants might be forced to rely on forms of social welfare, an education provides them the opportunity for higher earnings. This allows immigrants to spend more money and improve our economy, which in turn will allow more money to be spent on education.
Unauthorized immigrants do not necessarily pay all of the taxes expected of United States citizens, but they are certainly not exempt from them altogether. Unauthorized immigrants were found to have paid over $11 billion in state and local taxes in 2012 and are especially likely to pay property taxes since citizenship is not a prerequisite to renting or buying a home. Property taxes make up a significant portion of money allotted to public schools. Unauthorized immigrants are, to some extent, contributing financially for the education of their children.
Many opponents claim that unauthorized immigrants steal jobs from “real” Americans, but America has a clearly demonstrated shortage of skilled laborers, particularly in manufacturing. Far from dimming the employment prospects for citizens, educated immigrants can help stimulate American industry and fill a desperate need for skilled workers.
It makes sense economically to educate unauthorized immigrants, but I believe there are even more compelling moral reasons to do so. Opponents of education for unauthorized immigrants claim that they have no right to receive an education in America, as though only the people who were lucky enough to be born in this country deserve an opportunity to learn in it. That might make sense if children in all countries received equal opportunities for education, but this is obviously not the case. Mexico is the source of about half of America’s unauthorized immigrants. However, corrupt and ineffective schools in Mexico combine with a weak economy to result in a high dropout rate and consistent ranking as one of the worst performers on standardized tests of all major countries.
We are extraordinarily privileged to live in a country where decent public education is the norm, and we should have the decency to extend that privilege to others who were not as lucky but are just as eager to learn.