Audit sought on education costs for undocumented immigrants

A legislative audit has been requested to look at the costs of educating undocumented immigrant children in the Utah public schools.

The information will likely prove difficult to track down because public schools legally can't ask a student's immigration status, said Mark Peterson, spokesman for the Utah Office of Education.

That limitation, along with the fact the audit won't analyze benefits along with costs, has at least one minority leader calling the probe "intimidation" and questioning its value.

Auditor General John Schaff said Monday that the audit is in the beginning stages. It will likely look at the general costs of educating a child by level of education and school district.

It's not clear what motivated the audit. The legislator who requested that the Office of the Legislative Auditor General conduct the audit has asked to remain anonymous until it's finished, Schaff said. The lawmaker's name will be public when the audit's released.

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that all children have a constitutional right to a free public education, regardless of immigration status, and Schaff said there'd be no way to identify individual students.

Still, Tony Yapias, director of Proyecto Latino de Utah, questioned the motives of whomever requested the audit because it only looks at the cost of educating children and not the benefits.

"It's just another means of intimidation," Yapias said. "Does it serve a real purpose? ... You have to provide an education for all. Are they trying to challenge that?"

Yapias suggested that it would be better to look at the full picture, including the benefits from taxes undocumented workers pay.

Senate Majority Leader Curt Bramble, R-Provo, said he wasn't aware of the audit but said that it's a key piece of information for policymakers.

"I think it's important to understand what that cost is, particularly in discussing the fiscal impact to the state and what, if any, of those costs should be paid by employers," said Bramble, a member of National Conference of State Legislatures executive committee on immigration.

Also unaware of the audit was Rep. Glenn Donnelson, R-North Ogden, who is sponsoring at least four illegal immigration measures.

"I don't know what the purpose of the audit is," he said. "It keeps the government honest and out to the public."

For Alex Segura, who heads the Utah Minuteman Project, the information is "critical" for federal and state lawmakers. As state education budgets continue to grow, Segura suggested it may be time to look at amending the U.S. Constitution to no longer require educating undocumented children.

"It will track how out of control things are, how much of that money could be saved if we didn't have to educate kids who are in this country illegally," Segura said.

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