Education for children in Mexico is not something easy to
come across and many Mexican children find themselves crossing the border each
morning to attend a school in Luna County, New Mexico. The only reason many of
the children are able to cross the border is because they were born in New
Mexico making them US citizens allowing for them to attend better schools. The
children would attend the schools provided for them in Mexico but the problem is
that the schools in Palomas which is thirty miles from Luna County requires
monthly fees which is not something many Mexican citizens can afford and the
U.S schools provide much more for no cost such as breakfast and lunch which is
sometimes the only meals the children receive.
The problem with the children going to the schools in New Mexico is that
their parents are not paying the taxes and their children are basically
attending the school with no cost. The article explains the uproar in trying to
keep them out of the U.S. For instance, a man named Mark Reshel, 64 and a
retired Marine believes that the 14th amendment, which automatically
confers citizenship on anyone born in the U.S. should be altered. The U.S.
representative Rep. Steve King has created legislation claiming that now the
child can only be considered a U.S citizen unless the parent is a legal citizen.
Another factor that came into play 3 years ago because of the money being spent
this is a new policy made by Mexican officials now claiming that only
life-threatening cases would be allowed to cross the border for hospital care
and now all cases are taken care of through public health clinic in Palomas, and
for this reason they made access to the clinic more available with 24 hour
staff. One statement from the article that really struck me was when the
principle of the school stated this, “We’re here to teach children,” Moore
said. “They’re American citizens, and we want them to be literate. If they’re
literate, they get jobs. And they pay taxes.” (Washington post). This statement
is most important because it shows that educating the children of Mexico in
turn benefits us and they do pay in the end.
The legislation passed in Mexico is
going to cause many problems for those in Mexico. Many of the parents living
there and having children are no longer going to be able to send their children
to good schools. As mentioned they don’t have the means to send them to the
schools provided in Mexico this results in many illiterate people in Mexico and
little job opportunity other than the drug cartels which will create more
violence in Mexico. Education is key to getting better jobs and also keeping
the children out of violent situations. The schools in New Mexico also provided
the Mexican children with food, something they did not get much of at home. How
will the parents provide for the children now that children are being born in
Mexico won’t be born in U.S. and will no longer be considered U.S. citizens?
The U.S. has created a huge social problem for Mexico and now the future of
many Mexican children are hanging in the balance. The issue created here is
causing greater issues elsewhere, it’s basically like the U.S. left it to them
to figure out. It’s no longer their problem and now the poorest will stay poor.
References: http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-09-20/local/42250483_1_palomas-children-u-s-border-armed-u-s
Name: Sarah Vestrat
Time: 11:05
Date: 9/26/2013
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