Equity & Diversity

Children of Undocumented Immigrants in France Are Vulnerable

By Mary Ann Zehr — December 03, 2009 1 min read
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Children born to undocumented immigrants in the United States are given citizen status, but that’s not the case in France, I’m reminded by an article on deportations of children in that country published this week in New Media. (Hat tip to Colorin colorado.)

It sounds like illegal immigration is every bit as controversial in France as it is in the United States. The inability for children to gain citizen status there several years ago sparked a movement by some educators to try to protect children from deportation. Back in 2006, my colleague Caroline Hendrie traveled to France and reported on how educators were involved in trying to ensure children of undocumented immigrants had the chance to continue to attend the country’s schools.

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A version of this news article first appeared in the Learning the Language blog.