The Obama administration is prepping the nation's school systems for a huge influx of illegal immigrant children this fall as they await hearings that could lead to deportations.
"All children in the United States are entitled to equal access to a public elementary and secondary education, regardless of their or their parents' actual or perceived national origin, citizenship, or immigration status," the Education Department stated in a fact sheet. The document was sent to states and schools on Monday.
"This includes recently arrived unaccompanied children, who are in immigration proceedings while residing in local communities with a parent, family member, or other appropriate adult sponsor," it said.
The illegals are under the care of the Department of Health and Human Services while awaiting the deportation hearings, and they will be educated at the more than 150 shelters throughout the country where they are being held, according to the sheet.
The minors are turned over to DHS within 72 hours after being apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol agents. The temporary housing costs taxpayers $252 per child per day.
Nearly 63,000 children have been arrested in South Texas after crossing the U.S. border from Mexico since Oct. 1. The administration estimates that more than 90,000 could be detained by the end of next month.
Most of the minors come from such Central American countries as Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala. Many also come from Mexico.
President Barack Obama has dubbed the situation "a humanitarian crisis" — and officials and immigration reform advocates contend that illegals are fleeing violence and poverty in their home countries.
"Well, I was lining up a putt on 15, when it hit me, there was a fade to the left about a foot from the cup, the wind was kicking up pretty good, from East to West, and I thought, how are these illegal alien kids gonna be able to figure out a putt, we gotta send them to school."
