Constructing and Deconstructing “Illegal” Children

This article considers the implications and impact of the reactionary construct of "illegal children" within the context of language minority educational language policies. It analyzes the shift to the right in political discourse related to education and human rights. The article revisits important United States Supreme Court case, Plyler v. Doe (1982), which established the educational rights of migrant children. Next, it focuses on the U.S. national immigration debate and provides examples of the dehumanizing discourse assault on the educational rights of language minority children. The article provides a critical analysis of far right labeling of immigrants and their children and the strategic use of discourse to influence political perceptions of educational policy. Keywords: Plyler v. Doe, language policy, educational policy, immigrants, children's rights, human rights Notes 1Historically, the migration of undocumented workers has been encouraged as a source of cheap labor. Although some states have aggressively started cracking down on employers of undocumented workers, CitationBacon's (2008) analysis of the impact of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) explains how migrants have been forced out of local economic markets in Mexico and flee to the U.S. out of economic desperation.