Undocumented immigrants from Guatemala pretending to be children to enroll in Massachusetts public schools: mayor (VIDEO)<iframe title="MRC TV video player" width="640" height="360" src="http://www.mrctv.org/embed/129002" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy says she is powerless to stop adults from signing up for class in the city of Lynn because federal rules won't allow school officials to verify students' ages.
BY LEE MORAN NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Friday, August 29, 2014, 8:00 AM A A A
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Judith Flanagan Kennedy, mayor of Lynn, Mass., claims that several migrants who have enrolled in the Massachusetts public school system are well over the maximum age for state education.Judith Flanagan Kennedy, mayor of Lynn, Mass., claims that several migrants who have enrolled in the Massachusetts public school system are well over the maximum age for state education.PreviousNextLYNN, MA - OCTOBER 16: Lynn, Mass. mayoral candidate Judith Flanagan Kennedy at her Lynn headquarters on October 16, 2009. (Photo by Wendy Maeda/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) In this Friday, July 18, 2014 photo, Lorena Lopez walks to the bus stop in Lynn, Mass., on her way to work. Lopez, an 18 year old junior at Lynn English High School, crossed the border from Guatemala without her family almost four years ago. After a two-month stay at a federal holding facility, she re-united with her mother, been living in Massachusetts illegally for years. City officials in Lynn said their school district is dealing with an influx of indigenous Guatemalans, and the mayor expects a greater number in the upcoming school year. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer) Enlarge
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Undocumented immigrants from Guatemala are pretending to be children so they can enroll in the Massachusetts public school system, a mayor has claimed.
Several migrants who have signed up for class in the city of Lynn have reportedly been found to be well over the maximum age for state education.
One of the students was an astonishing 35-years-old.
Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy said some of the men and women had graying hair around their temples and "more wrinkles than I have."
They initially claimed, she said, to be between 14 and 17 years of age. But, she added: "They are not all children."
Kennedy made the claims at a press conference hosted by the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday.
She also said she was powerless to stop the overagers from registering, because federal rules ban school officials from verifying students' ages.
"We were told through a directive from the Department of Justice that we were not to question or verify these ages," she said.
The directive, issued in May, also reminded public schools they were legally required to enroll all children, regardless of their immigration status.
Asked by CNSNews.com how they managed to determine the age of some of the adults, Kennedy said they were able to do so only "every once in a while."
"For example, if a student does not show up for a few days of classes, we will send our truant officers out to find out what's going on at that home," she said.
Lucy Francis (center), chants slogans during a rally on the steps of Lynn's City Hall, held to protest what organizers describe as the scapegoating of immigrants for problems in the city.Lucy Francis (center), chants slogans during a rally on the steps of Lynn's City Hall, held to protest what organizers describe as the scapegoating of immigrants for problems in the city.PreviousNextLucy Francis, of Lynn, Mass., center, displays a placard and chants slogans during a rally, Tuesday, July 22, 2014, on the steps of City Hall, in Lynn, Mass., held to protest what organizers describe as the scapegoating of immigrants for problems in the city. The mayor of Lynn and education officials complain their schools are being overwhelmed by young Guatemalans who speak neither English or Spanish as their first language. (AP Photo) LYNN, MA - JUNE 8: Students in Mr. Chesley's science class learn about cell reproduction at Thurgood Marshall Middle School in Lynn, Massachusetts, on June 6, 2006. According to Mr. Chesley, the school receives numerous new students each week who have little to no background in the English language. Others, he says, have been studying English since the beginning of the year. With the varying levels of English within each class, Mr. Chesney states, "We do what we can." (Photo by Ashley Twiggs/The Christian Science Monitor via Getty Images) Enlarge
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"One example: the woman who answered the door said, 'he's 35, he's not going to show up at school. But we cannot ask them for any more verification of age," she added.
With the number of students incoming from the Central American nation almost doubling from 56 to 101 in the last school year, she admitted it was "very frustrating."
Kennedy also claimed the cost of educating the overage students was putting serious strain on Lynn's public purse.
And, with federal government not revealing whether they will be reimbursed for the increased outlay, she said it was hitting the blue-collar factory town of 90,000 people hard.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nat...ls-kids-mayor-article-1.1921185#ixzz3BtIHRcQz
Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy says she is powerless to stop adults from signing up for class in the city of Lynn because federal rules won't allow school officials to verify students' ages.
BY LEE MORAN NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Friday, August 29, 2014, 8:00 AM A A A
1
13
24
SHARE THIS URL
Judith Flanagan Kennedy, mayor of Lynn, Mass., claims that several migrants who have enrolled in the Massachusetts public school system are well over the maximum age for state education.Judith Flanagan Kennedy, mayor of Lynn, Mass., claims that several migrants who have enrolled in the Massachusetts public school system are well over the maximum age for state education.PreviousNextLYNN, MA - OCTOBER 16: Lynn, Mass. mayoral candidate Judith Flanagan Kennedy at her Lynn headquarters on October 16, 2009. (Photo by Wendy Maeda/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) In this Friday, July 18, 2014 photo, Lorena Lopez walks to the bus stop in Lynn, Mass., on her way to work. Lopez, an 18 year old junior at Lynn English High School, crossed the border from Guatemala without her family almost four years ago. After a two-month stay at a federal holding facility, she re-united with her mother, been living in Massachusetts illegally for years. City officials in Lynn said their school district is dealing with an influx of indigenous Guatemalans, and the mayor expects a greater number in the upcoming school year. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer) Enlarge
BOSTON GLOBE/BOSTON GLOBE VIA GETTY IMAGES
Undocumented immigrants from Guatemala are pretending to be children so they can enroll in the Massachusetts public school system, a mayor has claimed.
Several migrants who have signed up for class in the city of Lynn have reportedly been found to be well over the maximum age for state education.
One of the students was an astonishing 35-years-old.
Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy said some of the men and women had graying hair around their temples and "more wrinkles than I have."
They initially claimed, she said, to be between 14 and 17 years of age. But, she added: "They are not all children."
Kennedy made the claims at a press conference hosted by the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday.
She also said she was powerless to stop the overagers from registering, because federal rules ban school officials from verifying students' ages.
"We were told through a directive from the Department of Justice that we were not to question or verify these ages," she said.
The directive, issued in May, also reminded public schools they were legally required to enroll all children, regardless of their immigration status.
Asked by CNSNews.com how they managed to determine the age of some of the adults, Kennedy said they were able to do so only "every once in a while."
"For example, if a student does not show up for a few days of classes, we will send our truant officers out to find out what's going on at that home," she said.
Lucy Francis (center), chants slogans during a rally on the steps of Lynn's City Hall, held to protest what organizers describe as the scapegoating of immigrants for problems in the city.Lucy Francis (center), chants slogans during a rally on the steps of Lynn's City Hall, held to protest what organizers describe as the scapegoating of immigrants for problems in the city.PreviousNextLucy Francis, of Lynn, Mass., center, displays a placard and chants slogans during a rally, Tuesday, July 22, 2014, on the steps of City Hall, in Lynn, Mass., held to protest what organizers describe as the scapegoating of immigrants for problems in the city. The mayor of Lynn and education officials complain their schools are being overwhelmed by young Guatemalans who speak neither English or Spanish as their first language. (AP Photo) LYNN, MA - JUNE 8: Students in Mr. Chesley's science class learn about cell reproduction at Thurgood Marshall Middle School in Lynn, Massachusetts, on June 6, 2006. According to Mr. Chesley, the school receives numerous new students each week who have little to no background in the English language. Others, he says, have been studying English since the beginning of the year. With the varying levels of English within each class, Mr. Chesney states, "We do what we can." (Photo by Ashley Twiggs/The Christian Science Monitor via Getty Images) Enlarge
UNCREDITED/ASSOCIATED PRESS
"One example: the woman who answered the door said, 'he's 35, he's not going to show up at school. But we cannot ask them for any more verification of age," she added.
With the number of students incoming from the Central American nation almost doubling from 56 to 101 in the last school year, she admitted it was "very frustrating."
Kennedy also claimed the cost of educating the overage students was putting serious strain on Lynn's public purse.
And, with federal government not revealing whether they will be reimbursed for the increased outlay, she said it was hitting the blue-collar factory town of 90,000 people hard.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nat...ls-kids-mayor-article-1.1921185#ixzz3BtIHRcQz
