Flood of illegal immigrants

pour into NYC public schools

Youths hitch a ride atop a freight train in Oaxaca, Mexico, on their way to
the US border, where they would join a flood of unaccompanied minors
seeking to enter the country.

By 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 citys 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 dont 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 Obamas 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. The message
is: You come now, youre going to get arrested and deported right away.
But 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.
Posted by Thavam