Chairman. I rise to oppose this amendment because it is unconstitutional. runs counter to our Nations commitment to the value of education. and is morally repugnant. First. it violates the equal protection clause by granting States the option of denying undocumented children the same rights to a public education extended to other children residing in their States history documents the idiocy of challenging the constitutional and moral right of children to a free public education? Second. 2 years ago. when the Congress reauthorized the elementary and secondary education act. we inserted the following statement of principle into that law: That a highquality education for all Individuals and a fair and equitable opportunity to obtain that education are a societal good. are a moral Imperative. and improve the life of every Individual. because the quality of our individual lives ultimately depends on the quality of the lives of others. We did not qualify that principled position. We did not say that it applied to some children. and not to others. we did not say that it did not apply to undocumented children. We applied that statement to all individuals. Finally. Mr. Chairman there is no moral currency in denying undocumented children an education. We have no right to use education as a tool to enforce our immigration laws. All we will succeed in doing is punishing innocent children for the transgressions of their parents. We have no right to impose responsibility for enforcement of our immigration laws on our schools. All we will succeed in doing is turning our teachers into de facto INS agents. We have to no right to point fingers at children and block their entrance to the schoolhouse.
Keywords matched
undocumented immigration