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Rights of Children of Undocumented Immigrants

By Roshan Taneja

note: Speaker Notes:

Hi everyone, I'm here to talk about a serious issue: the rights of children of undocumented immigrants.

The Urgency

  • 4 Million children in U.S. schools
  • Disproportionate inclusion in child welfare
  • Family separation threats

|500 Detained Migrant Children Being Held In Portland, Oregon. Credit: PBS NewsHour

note: Speaker Notes: There are 4 million students in our schools who have undocumented parents. These kids face a lot of problems, and they're often ignored by society. Even though many of them are U.S. citizens, they're more likely to end up in the child welfare system, which means they might be taken away from their families. We need to change how the system works to help these kids.

Personal Impact

  • Sofia's story
  • Anayeli Batista's case
  • Impacts of Implicit Bias

|500 Immigrant parents waiting at child welfare center. Credit: Joshua Barajas for PBS News Hour

note: Speaker Notes: I first noticed this problem in middle school when my friend's dad got deported. Her name was Sofia, and we used to eat lunch together everyday. One day, she told me her dad was sent back to Mexico, and she had to live with her aunt. Over time, she stopped coming to school. Within the year, she was moved to a foster home elsewhere in California, and I haven't heard from her since. Her story is hardly unique. Even as U.S. citizens, children of undocumented immigrants are at elevated risk of entering the child welfare system when a parent is detained or deported.

Implicit bias against single-parent households can cause unbalanced seizure of children. For instance, Anayeli Batista, a U.S. citizen teenager, had to enter foster care after her undocumented father was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Even though Anayeli lived comfortably at home with her mother and siblings, authorities took Anayeli from her mother and placed her in the child welfare system. This case brings up the systemic bias that can view the single-parent household led by non-citizens as inadequate, even when demonstrably safe and loving.

Systemic Bias

  • Carlos and Marco Hernandez
  • Chilling Effect
  • Psychological trauma

Image.jpg|500 Undocumented immigrants arriving Sunday in McAllen, Texas, after being processed by Customs and Border Protection and released. Credit: Tamir Kalifa for The New York Times

%%Cut down on this section%% note: Another example is Carlos and Marco Hernandez, the Brothers were U.S. citizens living with their undocumented mother. When their mother was deported, they were placed in separate foster homes. The boys experienced emotional distress from the separation and struggled to adjust to their new environments. These situations demonstrate the psychological trauma children can experience due to family separation caused by immigration enforcement. It extends beyond direct actions to a chilling effect discouraging families from seeking essential services like law enforcement or medical services. This chilling effect is dangerous to legal citizens and also encourages crime. Crime rates in cities with large populations of undocumented citizens like San Diego, Los Angeles, Houston, and Dallas have seen increased crime rates since ICE operations began within city limits.

Financial Burden

  • $31.7 billion spent on child welfare (2020)
  • 12.8% of children in welfare are of undocumented immigrants

|500 Statistics From US Department of Child Welfare

%%Cut down on this%% note: The cost of maintaining the child welfare system is not cheap. State child welfare systems spent about $31.7 billion on child welfare in 2020. The states of California, Texas, New York, Florida, Illinois, and New Jersey alone consumed nearly 80% of that budget. 12.8% of children in the child welfare system are children of undocumented immigrants. A vast portion of our budget spent on Child Welfare is spent on children of undocumented immigrants.

What We Can Do

  1. Raise Awareness
  2. Support Local Initiatives
  3. Volunteer and Mentor

|500 Central Migrants line up to get food at their encampment at the entrance to the "El Chaparral" U.S. Point of entry in Tijuana, Mexico on May 1, 2018. Credit: Omar Ornelas for The Desert Sun-USA Today Network

note: 1. Raise Awareness: Use social media platforms and school events to highlight the issues faced by children of undocumented immigrants. Sharing personal stories and data can help engage the community and foster empathy and understanding. 2. Support Local Initiatives: Participate in and support community programs that assist families of undocumented immigrants. Encourage local governments and non-profits to develop programs that prevent unnecessary separations and provide tailored support. 3. Volunteer and Mentor: Offer your time to volunteer with organizations that work with children of undocumented immigrants. Mentoring can provide much-needed support and stability for these children, helping them navigate challenges and succeed in their personal and academic lives.

What We Can Do (Cont.)

  1. Educate Ourselves and Others
  2. Advocate for Policy Changes
  3. Create Safe Spaces

|500 Protests against the New Jersey Task Force. Credit: Frank Alvarez for Kinship Care and Foster Care Newsletter

note: 4. Educate Ourselves and Others: Take the time to learn about the challenges faced by children of undocumented immigrants and share this knowledge with peers. Understanding the issues is the first step toward meaningful change. 5. Advocate for Policy Changes: Encourage school boards and local officials to implement policies that support children of undocumented immigrants. This can include providing resources, training staff to handle related issues sensitively, and ensuring a supportive environment. 6. Create Safe Spaces: Foster inclusive environments in schools and communities where children of undocumented immigrants feel safe and valued. This can involve setting up support groups, offering counseling services, and promoting a culture of acceptance and respect.

Call to Action

  • Support vulnerable children
  • Promote inclusivity
  • Act now

|400 A Border Patrol agent talking with migrants who illegally crossed the border from Mexico into the United States near McAllen, Texas. Credit: Loren Elliott for Reuters

note: Imagine a classroom filled with bright, curious faces. Imagine some of those faces are clouded with worry, hunger, pain, and empty seats. These are the children we are failing. Let us not continue to defer their dreams. Let's act compassionately and reform the system to ensure every child feels safe, loved, and empowered to reach their full potential. We cannot afford to wait any longer. Let's act now to protect these vulnerable children. Empathy as our guide allows us to build a future where every child feels safe and valued.

SPACECAT Analysis my Justice Letter

Speaker

  • Roshan Taneja
  • Empathetic advocate
  • Personal experience

"I write with a strong sense of urgency and empathy, speaking out for the rights of the children of undocumented immigrants in this country."

note: Speaker: Roshan Taneja, a deeply empathetic advocate for the rights of children of undocumented immigrants, draws on personal experiences and robust evidence to support their arguments.

Purpose

  • Urge action
  • Reform child welfare
  • Address biases

"The Child Welfare system in the United States needs to evolve to support the lives and rights of children of undocumented immigrants."

note: Purpose: The primary goal is to urge Congressman Cardell Morant to take comprehensive actions to reform the child welfare system, specifically to better support children of undocumented immigrants and address systemic biases within the system.

Audience

  • Congressman Cardell Morant
  • Policymakers
  • Stakeholders

"Congressman Morant, your recent legislation offers a glimmer of hope. Please consider expanding its scope to encompass the needs of all children of undocumented immigrants, not just unaccompanied minors."

note: Audience: The letter is directly addressed to Congressman Cardell Morant, but it also implicitly targets other policymakers and stakeholders involved in the child welfare and immigration systems.

Context

  • National debate
  • Immigration policies
  • Child welfare stability

"Four million students in the public and private school systems in the United States are children of undocumented immigrants (‘Fact Sheet’)."

note: Context: The letter is set against a backdrop of a national debate on immigration and child welfare. It references recent policies affecting the stability of children of undocumented immigrants and their families.

Exigence

  • High impact on children
  • Personal anecdotes
  • Systemic issues

"Her story is hardly unique. Even as U.S. citizens, children of undocumented immigrants are at elevated risk of entering the child welfare system when a parent is detained or deported."

note: Exigence: There is an urgent need for action due to the high rates of children of undocumented immigrants being adversely affected by current welfare and immigration policies. Personal anecdotes like Sofia’s story and systemic evidence highlight the necessity for immediate reform.

Choices

  • Personal stories
  • Statistical evidence
  • Direct appeals

"Therefore, I urge you to take the following actions: 1. ... 2. ... 3. ... "

note: Choices: The letter strategically uses personal stories, statistical evidence, and direct appeals to the congressman's previous statements. These rhetorical choices aim to construct a compelling argument for policy change.

Appeals

  • Ethos
  • Logos
  • Pathos

"The cost of maintaining the child welfare system is not cheap. State child welfare systems spent about $31.4 billion on child welfare in 2020."

note: Appeals: The letter establishes credibility (ethos) through detailed knowledge and firsthand experience, uses statistics and documented cases for logical arguments (logos), and evokes emotions through personal stories and vivid imagery (pathos).

Tone

  • Compassionate
  • Urgent
  • Authoritative

"Let's act compassionately and reform the system to ensure every child feels safe, loved, and empowered to reach their full potential."

note: Tone: The letter employs a compassionate, urgent, and authoritative tone, using phrases like "strong sense of urgency" to convey the seriousness of the issue and the necessity for timely legislative action.

# Thank You For Listening!