Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, July 5, 1994 TAG: 9407050103
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: B-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: NEW ORLEANS LENGTH: Medium
"California makes it a sin to be a child of a person who is seeking the America dream," said Darlene Chavez, granddaughter of an undocumented immigrant and an Arizona delegate to the National Education Association's annual convention of teachers and other school personnel.
The California delegation had asked the 2.2 million-member NEA to take a broader approach, actively opposing any legislation or initiative that would deny illegal aliens equal access to a public education and other public services, but its motion was narrowed during debate.
Opponents of the California initiative argued that it requires schools to become agents for the Immigration and Naturalization Service and denies undocumented students equal access to education. Supporters cite the cost of providing services to people who do not pay taxes.
"Illegal immigrants do not play by the rules. They break the rules," said Jane Stern, a delegate from Maryland.
But in an emotional address to the convention, Amy Tsubokawa of California recalled how she had been interned with other Japanese-Americans during World War II. "There was no due process although my mother is American. . . . I was denied equal access to public education," she said.
Tsubokawa told of the trust that develops between student and teacher. "I do not want my students to think the very people they trust will turn them in to the INS," she said.
The motion to oppose the California initiative was approved by voice vote of the nearly 10,000 convention delegates.
The INS estimates that there are nearly 4 million undocumented immigrants in the country and that the number is growing by about 300,000 a year.
California, Arizona, Florida and other states have filed suit against the federal government seeking to recoup some of the cost of providing education, health care and other services to undocumented people. Congress also has been asked to take action to relieve the burden on the states.
In California alone, Gov. Pete Wilson has estimated that it costs more than $3 billion a year - nearly 10 percent of the state's budget - to support illegal aliens.
A Los Angeles Times poll in May showed that California voters supported the "Save Our State" initiative by a margin of 59 percent to 32 percent.
Supporters have submitted more than 600,000 signatures in an attempt to get the measure on the ballot.
In other convention news Monday:
NEA President Keith Geiger reiterated that the union was working toward a "national merger" with the rival American Federation of Teachers. The convention on Sunday gave Geiger another year to pursue merger talks.
Even if a merger does not occur, the two unions will pursue a more collegial relationship, he said.
Geiger said the union was planning a series of public service advertisements designed to increase parental involvement in their children's education.
The NEA delegates voted not to consider Illinois delegate Cheryl Horne's attempt to change the union's stand supporting family planning and the right to reproductive freedom. She had asked the union to take a neutral stand.
The delegates voted to examine Coca-Cola's marketing strategies for its new product "OK Coke," which is being targeted toward male teens and young men, and directed Geiger to communicate NEA's concerns to the company.
by CNB