Illegals Today

"Fewer than 10 percent of Lindbergh students were Hispanic in 1980. Today, the figure has swelled to more than 75 percent. But Jennifer Kill, a sixth-grade teacher at the school, said she has never asked if any of these students are illegal immigrants or the children of illegal immigrants. Her job is to teach children, not to guard the border. "As a teacher, you get the students that come to your door," Kill said. "You don't concern yourself with where they're from, what they look like." People who do track immigration trends estimate that 125,000 to 145,000 children of illegal immigrants attend public elementary and secondary schools in Arizona. That figure comes from the Pew Hispanic Center in Washington, D.C., which is quick to point out that about half of these students are likely U.S. citizens born in this country. The Pew estimate nearly equals the enrollment of the Scottsdale, Mesa and Chandler unified school districts combined."

Story from Tribune (Mesa, AZ),15-FEB-07

You can find this article by going to Access My Library, where some articles are free and others will require that you type in the number on your public library card and you will have access to a number of newspapers, magazines, and data sources. I used the search term, "illegal immigrants." It's a very nice service.

Labels: Arizona, education, Pew