Report by Human Rights Institute, Women’s Refugee Commission, Calls for Policies That Ensure All Children’s Access to School
Recent raids by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials have had a chilling effect on the education of recently arrived children – including those seeking asylum from the violence in Central America – according to a report published today by Georgetown Law’s Human Rights Institute (HRI) and the Women’s Refugee Commission.
The report, Ensuring Every Undocumented Student Succeeds: A Report on Access to Public Education for Undocumented Children, found that a lack of awareness and resources in public school systems create obstacles to school enrollment for undocumented children. For more on the report, click here.
“U.S. law is clear on this point – no child in the United States should be excluded from public education,” said Mikaela Harris (L’17), a Georgetown Law student and co-author of the report. “What we found is that that doesn’t always play out in practice.”
One social worker recounted the story of a 13-year-old who loves school but is now afraid to wait outside for the bus. Another advocate made clear that a lot of children are dropping out because they are scared to even try to go to school.
The report calls for districts and schools to eliminate policies that discriminate against undocumented students and inhibit their education, and for both ICE and educational bodies to develop policies that protect a child’s access to education from the chilling effects of ICE raids.
KJ