Are Foreign Children Entitled to Free Public Education?

Any child, whether being an American citizen, legal immigrant, or illegal immigrant has the right to a free public school education. This is a highly debated concept, since taxpayer money is used to fund the education of children who were allowed to enter the country in the first place, regardless of legal status. Arguments for and against this policy tend to lead to specific questions of whether or not children of illegal immigration, both foreign-born and domestically-born, should be entitled to an education in the United States.

As with most issues on the topic of illegal immigration, political opinions vary with regard to illegal immigrants in public schools and which immigration laws should be enacted alongside these concerns. Currently, laws addressing illegal immigration permit all children to receive a public education.

A primary issue presented by presence of children of illegal immigration in the public school system is the underlying cost of their general education. In 2004, statistics showed that California spent about $7.7 billion per year to educate the total number of illegal immigrants in public schools--a figure that comprised 17% of the budget for the entire school system in California. California has a high rate of illegal immigration because of its close proximity to the Mexican border, and it was discovered that in the entire United States, it cost $28.4 billion in 2004 to educate the children of illegal immigrants in public schools.

Ultimately, presence of children of illegal immigration in the public school system, and the general expenses that surround them, creates a very expensive situation, in addition to causing a large degree of controversy. Since efforts are being made by Congress to allow children of illegal immigration to attend college, the tension has greatly escalated; some individuals think that offering a college education to the children of illegal immigrants provide undue incentives to immigrate illegally.

The presence of children of illegal immigration in the public school system continues to stir up debate. While the idea of paying taxes for legal immigrant children to become educated evokes tension, some take opposing views in considering that public dollars are spent educating children of illegal immigration. Despite a concerted effort to enact a counter-policy that these immigrant laws hold, children of illegal immigration are still permitted to partake in the American public school system.