It is indeed a sad day in the long history of our country when Members of this esteemed body must come to this Chamber to plead that the right to an education given to all children in this country by our Constitution should not be violated. There is no question that we all want to protect our borders. The fact is. however. that H.R. 4134 will do nothing to stem the flow of illegal immigration or lessen the burden on our schools. It will. instead. significantly reduce the quality of life for all Americans. The bill will substantially increase costs to school districts and State and local governments by requiring them to use scarce resources to act as INS agents to document the legal status of all students. And. there is no doubt that foreign appearing and speaking children will be discriminated against. This bill will only serve to create a climate of fear and distrust in which the children of U.S. citizens may also be harassed. or prevented from enrolling in school if they are unable to provide the necessary documents. H.R. 4134 is not a viable alternative to sensible immigration control policies. All this bill will accomplish is to put thousands of children on the streets and either tempt them to turn to crime or make them vulnerable to the influence of gangs. That very real danger is precisely why numerous law enforcement officials. school teachers and administrators. and police associations are opposed to H.R. 4134.
Identified stereotypes
Foreign appearing and speaking children will be discriminated against.