Our vision is for the state of Texas to offer a welcoming environment for immigrants and refugees where immigrant children can integrate and access the resources they need to learn, grow and thrive. While the diversity of our immigrant community enriches our state, it also adds complexity to the strategies needed to address their varied needs.
The Children’s Immigration Network is CHILDREN AT RISK’s effort to focus on immigrant children. Use the button below to be among the first to read our next quarterly newsletter.
EMBRACING HERITAGE IN OUR SCHOOLS
A message from Senior Director, Linda Corchado
As the Director of the Children’s Immigration Network, I hope you receive our warm welcome as we roll out our first Quarterly Newsletter. In the spirit of National Hispanic Heritage Month, we are taking a moment to reflect on the importance of celebrating heritage for all children in Texas.
We start with schools, which is often the first formal introduction to American society for immigrant students. Schools support newcomer students and English language learners as they acclimate to a new country and language, under circumstances where emergent bilingual programs are severely underfunded and misunderstood.
English as a second language or ESL classes totally immerse non-English speakers in English classes, 58% of all English learners in Texas are in ESL which places no value on that student’s native language.
Whereas dual language classes are considered truly bilingual to ensure students are fluent and learn grade-level content in English and their native language. Dual language programs promote inclusivity where unique contributions from each student are celebrated to benefit the overall learning experience.
Texas ranks first in the nation in the percentage of English learners.
To instill inclusive practices in school, administrators must be adaptable and intentional in their approach to cultural inclusivity. At Spring ISD in Houston, Cultural Awareness Training is mandatory for all employees to create a cohesive and accepting environment for the diverse student body. This is overseen by the Multicultural Programs Director, Lettie Houck. Last year, she led the launch of a new Emergent Bilingual program; the One-Way Dual Language model that supports equitable English proficiency while honoring students’ native language.
So, what does heritage have to do with language?
In our opinion, everything.
In a recent meeting, Lettie said tearfully this work is crucial because of the students she serves. She tells me, they are facing challenges in assimilation, are homesick, are dealing with past traumas, and their native language makes them feel even more isolated.
As our Children’s Immigration Network engages more deeply with stakeholders, equity, diversity, and inclusion are at the forefront of our minds. As a Texas community, when we can remove one part of an immigrant child’s hurt, in this case, their sense of isolation, and instead re-envision language as a crucial cord to our heritage, identity, and future success, then we can do a whole lot of good for our kids.
ENROLLMENT BARRIERS PROFILE
All children living in the U.S. have a right to access an education, no matter their immigration status, but is that right truly unencumbered?
We’re exploring these issues with case workers who support immigrant families as they navigate bureaucratic barriers that make it exceptionally difficult for newcomer students to enroll.
More than half of service providers surveyed said their students face enrollment barriers. Overwhelmingly, case workers felt immigrant families need more in person support at schools to help parents and guardians navigate through the enrollment process.
As case workers seek more compassion from administrators, it is evident that many administrators are unaware of the challenges asylum seekers face or how seemingly simple requests for paperwork feel especially herculean for newcomer families.
CONGRESS MUST PROTECT DACA
Contact your Congresspersons, tell them how important it is for our Texas children to Save DACA!
The lives of 580,000 DACA recipients, including 96,000 living in Texas, are in jeopardy after a Fifth Circuit Judge ruled that recent efforts by the Biden administration to turn DACA into a federal regulation are unlawful. We were interviewed by media in Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio to stress the importance of saving DACA for our economy and our Texas children.
DACA recipients have a critical role in our economy, contributing $436.8 million in state and local taxes with a spending power of $3.7 billion dollars. When DACA was first implemented in 2012, the average age of recipients was 21, now most are in their 30s, and many are parents. This ruling is deeply traumatic for thousands of children whose parents now face an uncertain future. Children whose parents do not have durable legal status suffer immensely, developing adjustment and anxiety disorders, conditions that alter children’s neurobiology, harming their brain, and long-term health.
DATA PROFILE
Systemic Inequities Linked to Higher Rates of Mental Health and Chronic Health Issues in Latino Children
A study recently published in the journal Pediatrics found that Latino children experience more mental health and chronic health issues than non-Latino white children in states with higher systemic inequities. Inequities such as structural or cultural racism, discrimination, xenophobia, and stigma limit access to power and can contribute to disparities in health including respiratory illnesses, obesity, and inflammation.
Health problems were assessed across 3 distinct dimensions of child health, health difficulties in the past 12 months, provider-diagnosed, current, chronic physical conditions, and provider-diagnosed, current mental health conditions.
Systemic inequities were measured by a state-level summary index of state policies, survey responses from American National Election Study (ANES) to a “feelings thermometer” reflecting attitudes towards Latino individuals, and ANES survey responses to a “feelings thermometer” reflecting attitudes towards immigrants.
Researchers hypothesized that systemic inequities are associated with a greater cooccurrence of mental health and the occurrence of chronic physical health conditions among Latino children. Results proved conclusive even after adjusting for a broad set of child and family characteristics and individual experiences of discrimination.
These results reinforce previous studies on experienced discrimination or racism on children’s health outcomes.
To read more about the findings, read the article here.