Washington Post
By David Nakamura
May 8, 2014
The Obama administration issued updated guidelines Thursday aimed at ensuring that public
schools enroll undocumented immigrant children, saying the move was necessary to protect their rights under federal law.
“The
Justice Department will do everything it can to make sure schools meet
this obligation,” Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. said on a
conference call with reporters.
“We will vigilantly enforce the law.”
In
1982, the Supreme Court ruled that public elementary and secondary
schools could not discriminate against students based on their
immigration status or charge undocumented
children more money for their education.
The new guidelines, which include examples of proper and improper enrollment practices,
replace
instructions issued by the departments of Justice and Education in
2011. Officials at the Office of Civil Rights said they have
investigated 17 complaints in school districts in Washington, D.C.,
Colorado, North Carolina, Ohio, Louisiana, Michigan and New
Mexico. In Georgia, the Education Department evaluated the enrollment
practices of 200 school districts, officials said.
"Sadly,
too many schools and school districts are still denying rights,"
Education Secretary Arne Duncan said during the conference call. "Our
message is simple: Let all
children living in your district enroll in school."
The
announcement is part of a broader effort by the administration to
reshape the nation’s immigration laws in small ways through the
president’s executive powers, even
as Congress remains divided over a much farther-reaching legislative
overhaul. Also this week, the administration announced it would pursue
rule changes to allow the spouses of some foreign high-tech workers the right to work in the United States, as well.
The
White House hopes the smaller moves will keep pressure on House
Republicans to support a broader immigration reform plan sometime before
Congress takes a summer recess
in August. With pressure from advocates mounting on President Obama to
stem deportations, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson is overseeing
a review of enforcement policies. Officials have not said when
Johnson’s findings will be announced.
For more information, go to: www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com
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