HOUSTON, Texas — The feds have released more than 30,000 unaccompanied minors, all of whom entered the U.S. illegally, in various states around the nation. Assuming that most of these children will not be immediately deported, U.S. public schools be will forced to accommodate them.
A total of 30,340 unaccompanied minors–almost all of whom are from Central America–had been released to foster homes around the country as of July 7.
The cost of educating these migrants in U.S. schools will likely not be cheap; Texas Education Agency General Counsel David Anderson pointed out that due to factors such as cultural differences and language barriers, it will likely be more expensive to educate the immigrant children than it is to educate students who are U.S. citizens.
Anderson reported said at a committee hearing, “Right now, the state pays about $7,900 per student to districts. These [foreign children] would come with certain needs, like free or reduced lunch qualification as well as bilingual or special needs, so we estimate about $9,500 per student to be paid to the districts for those students.”
Taxpayers in Texas alone are expected to spend more than $45 million educating the minors next year, as Breitbart Texas previously reported.
The cost to educate all 30,340 children, who have been dispersed in every U.S. state, is not known at this time.
The Obama Administration has made it clear that all public schools must welcome illegal immigrant students; social security numbers or birth certificates are not requirements for students to enroll.
Attorney General Eric Holder said earlier this year, “Public school districts have an obligation to enroll students regardless of immigration status and without discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin. We will vigilantly enforce the law to ensure the schoolhouse door remains open to all.”
Aside from the burden unaccompanied minors will pose to taxpayers, other concerns have been raised about placing these individuals into U.S. schools without verifying their identities.
One such fear is that some adult illegal immigrants are posing as children. A city official in Lynn, Massachusetts told the National Review, “Some of [the immigrants] have had gray hair and they’re telling you that they’re 17 years old and they have no documentation. If my children went to the public schools, I’d be very uncomfortable with all of these unaccompanied minors [that] are placed in the ninth grade.”
Since schools are not allowed to ask for identification documents, there is no reliable way to confirm the migrants’ ages.
Many taxpayers have expressed grave frustration over the matter; especially in Texas, which received more of the unaccompanied minors than any other U.S. state. Along with public schools, hospitals and other public facilities will be forced to accommodate the growing number of foreigners, who continue to pour over the U.S.-Mexico border illegally.
Follow Kristin Tate on Twitter @KristinBTate.