PHOENIX (By Daniel Gonzαlez, Arizona
Republic) June 30, 2005 - Children of immigrants represent the
fastest-growing segment of the state's child population, but English
language deficiencies, economic hurdles and restrictive immigration laws
could be hindering their chances of success.
At stake is the economic future of Arizona.
That was the message hammered home Tuesday at a symposium in Tempe organized by the Phoenix-based Children's Action Alliance.
"The future of Arizona is 100 percent dependent on our ability" to help the children of immigrants succeed through programs and public policies, said Carol Kamin, chief executive officer and president of the alliance.
The non-profit, nonpartisan organization is dedicated to improving the lives of Arizona's children.
About 300 teachers, health care providers and social service workers attended the symposium. The meeting was intended to raise awareness about the challenges facing immigrants and the children of immigrants, a growing but overlooked segment of the population, said Dana Wolfe Naimark, the organization's director of special projects.
In Arizona, 345,000, or one in four children, has at least one immigrant parent, said Michael Fix, citing figures by the Urban Institute based on the 2000 Census. Nationally, it's one in five. Fix is vice president of the Migration Policy Institute, a non-profit, nonpartisan research organization in Washington, D.C., that studies the migration of people worldwide.
Not only are children of immigrants the fastest-growing segment of the child population, they face greater economic hurdles than other children, Fix said. In Arizona, two in five low-income children are children of immigrants.
Children of immigrants are more likely than other children to have poor nutrition and live in crowded housing, Fix said. Nationally, they are twice as likely as other children to lack health insurance.
What's more, while most of the children of immigrants are U.S. citizens, many live in "mixed" households where at least one parent is undocumented, Fix said.
That means children of immigrants are likely to be affected, directly or indirectly, by a growing number of restrictive immigration laws such as Proposition 200 intended to clamp down on illegal immigration by denying public benefits to undocumented immigrants, he said.
There are 4.6 million children in the United States living in families where at least one parent is undocumented. In Arizona, 44 percent of children of immigrants, or 12 percent of all Arizona children, live in undocumented families, Fix said.
The ramifications are unknown, he said.
"As a nation, we have very little experience with such a large number of children growing up in such legally marginalized families," Fix said.
Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard, one of the speakers, said there is growing anecdotal evidence that Proposition 200 has had a "chilling effect" on immigrants applying for federal benefits for their U.S.-born children, even though they are eligible.
"These kids and the resources they bring to Arizona are critical to the success of the state for decades to come," Goddard said.
At stake is the economic future of Arizona.
That was the message hammered home Tuesday at a symposium in Tempe organized by the Phoenix-based Children's Action Alliance.
"The future of Arizona is 100 percent dependent on our ability" to help the children of immigrants succeed through programs and public policies, said Carol Kamin, chief executive officer and president of the alliance.
The non-profit, nonpartisan organization is dedicated to improving the lives of Arizona's children.
About 300 teachers, health care providers and social service workers attended the symposium. The meeting was intended to raise awareness about the challenges facing immigrants and the children of immigrants, a growing but overlooked segment of the population, said Dana Wolfe Naimark, the organization's director of special projects.
In Arizona, 345,000, or one in four children, has at least one immigrant parent, said Michael Fix, citing figures by the Urban Institute based on the 2000 Census. Nationally, it's one in five. Fix is vice president of the Migration Policy Institute, a non-profit, nonpartisan research organization in Washington, D.C., that studies the migration of people worldwide.
Not only are children of immigrants the fastest-growing segment of the child population, they face greater economic hurdles than other children, Fix said. In Arizona, two in five low-income children are children of immigrants.
Children of immigrants are more likely than other children to have poor nutrition and live in crowded housing, Fix said. Nationally, they are twice as likely as other children to lack health insurance.
What's more, while most of the children of immigrants are U.S. citizens, many live in "mixed" households where at least one parent is undocumented, Fix said.
That means children of immigrants are likely to be affected, directly or indirectly, by a growing number of restrictive immigration laws such as Proposition 200 intended to clamp down on illegal immigration by denying public benefits to undocumented immigrants, he said.
There are 4.6 million children in the United States living in families where at least one parent is undocumented. In Arizona, 44 percent of children of immigrants, or 12 percent of all Arizona children, live in undocumented families, Fix said.
The ramifications are unknown, he said.
"As a nation, we have very little experience with such a large number of children growing up in such legally marginalized families," Fix said.
Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard, one of the speakers, said there is growing anecdotal evidence that Proposition 200 has had a "chilling effect" on immigrants applying for federal benefits for their U.S.-born children, even though they are eligible.
"These kids and the resources they bring to Arizona are critical to the success of the state for decades to come," Goddard said.
