Politico came out with an article this morning with the headline “Fearful Hispanic Students Skip Class.” In Alabama, a federal judge has ruled that it is constitutional for the state to use school records to verify a child’s immigration record as part of a harsh new immigration bill, HB-56. This is necessary, say the law’s proponents, to ensure that Alabama’s services go to legal residents of Alabama. Of course, what they fail to appreciate is that this sort of policy helps absolutely no one and can cause a huge amount of damage to thousands upon thousands of children.
To show you what kind of impact the law has had so far, take a look at these numbers: 2,285 Hispanic students did not show up for class on Monday, which about double the normal absentee rate. Some districts have seen dozens of students drop out. Shelby County has had over 60 students withdraw since last week. Obviously, parents are scared. They don’t fully understand what Alabama’s new law means. They don’t know if they will be deported because their children do not have papers, or if their children will be kicked out of school. Luckily, at least for now, this is not the case. Alabama uses student ID numbers that are distinct from Social Security when they are tallying statistics such as absenteeism, and the law does not (yet) apply to students already enrolled. What the law actually does is make it so that any incoming student must have valid documentation. That doesn’t mean that the parents are being needlessly fearful. On the contrary, this law should serve as a rallying point in the fight for respecting all human rights. The argument against this cruel law boils down to this; it is absolutely, positively, 100% wrong to punish a child for the perceived crimes of their parents.
It shouldn’t even matter on what side of the immigration debate you fall on. Even if you are rabidly against all immigration, you must hold the children blameless. I just can’t see a 6 year old persuading his parents to leave their entire family to try to cross the border. Parents are the ones responsible for their children, not the other way around. This is why this law strikes me as so hateful. Anyone who thinks that the hard-right jingoists are going to be satisfied with a few more empty school desks is sadly mistaken. They will not stop until all children who do not have documents are kicked out of school, so you can bet that if this law is upheld on appeal, there will soon be rumblings of even stricter laws. Imagine the situation from the perspective of a family of undocumented immigrants who arrives after this law is in effect. Suddenly, they have moved across international borders to find work, and while they can make more money here, their children can’t go to school. The predicament it puts them in is heartbreaking. Do you stay here, and at least have the guarantee of food on the table every night, or do you leave so your kids can have an education? It’s my feeling that most families will end up staying; school pales in comparison to starvation or abject poverty. The reality will be very little change in immigration patterns but many more uneducated youth with limited adult supervision, outside of the school system. I can’t see how that helps anyone.
The racism behind this law is obvious once you consider the fact that immigrating illegally is the only, and I repeat only, crime that an adult can commit that has such devastating repercussions on so many children. The children of murderers and rapists go to school, and rightly so. It would be absurd to deny them a chance at a good life just because their parent did something wrong. That’s the same rationale here. This law is not in place for any practical purpose. It doesn’t keep anyone safer, or end up saving very much money. Keep in mind that any families that were found out under this or a stricter law in the future would have to go through deportation proceedings, an expensive ordeal for everyone involved. The money you might save from having fewer students would pale in comparison to the cost of deporting families. This law gives the metaphorical finger to the entire immigrant population, children included. It’s racist, and furthers no real policy goals. This law should be overturned, and quickly. Immigration is a difficult political issue to grapple with, and it only makes sense that people have differing opinions on such a complex topic. But to resort to hateful and discriminatory legislation flies in the face of human dignity. It’s simply a bad law. How many children’s lives will be ruined to make a political point?
I wonder if Alabama has a state animal? If not, I’d like to nominate the leopard, the kind that doesn’t change its spots. Alabama has long been a haven for those who would discriminate against minorities of every type. Ever since civil rights legislation was enacted in the 1960’s, Alabama has been searching for a new scapegoat for discrimination (legal discrimination, that is, Alabama has never fully embraced civil rights) and immigrants seem to fit the bill nicely. Mr. Nigrosh spotlights every good reason to repeal this vindictive legislation; now if only Alabama will open its eyes, it will be able to see those reasons.