With the E-Verify system targeting adult illegal immigrants, another new system has been launched to target their children. Arizona and Oklahoma have passed what are seen as landmark bills which require school districts to verify the legality of children in schools.

Arizona’s new law translates into plain English such as

1. Find out how many kids in the school are illegal immigrants

2. Figure out how much it is costing the taxpayers to provide them with education.

The second condition also requires inclusion of students who are there legally but are not citizens of the U.S. While these may seem heartless and callous laws, in the face of recession and increasing efforts to reduce the illegal immigration population, they seem to be a plausible way to address the issues. However, since the laws do not state what documents a school needs to verify a student’s status, those details will have to be specified soon.

Oklahoma, on the other hand, is not targeting existing students but those who are prospective ones. The state wants verification to be performed at the enrolment stage and also wants the schools to determine if the students need to attend an “English as a Second Language” program. It also wants the Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction to put together a report every year on how the enrolment of students illegally present in the U.S. is affecting the quality of education of students who are citizens. Once again this last issue deals with cost and is a practical but callous method of improving facilities in schools.

Whether these laws are adopted by other states depends on their success…or failure.