Serving Illegal Immigrant Children While Ending the Incentives That Keep Them Coming

As a former middle and high school ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher, I spent years working with migrant students, many of whom were in the country illegally. These kids showed up in my classroom every day, eager to learn despite the challenges of poverty, language barriers, and in many cases unstable living situations. I cared deeply about my students, and as a teacher, my job was to serve the children in front of me, regardless of how they got here.

But while my heart went out to these kids, I couldn’t ignore the elephant in the room: Why were they here in the first place? What policies were incentivizing their parents to risk everything, cross borders illegally, rely on government assistance, and take up taxpayer-funded resources that American families struggle to access?

Redlands Christian Migrant Association: A Case Study

Perhaps an example would best illustrate the problem. Let’s look at the Redlands Christian Migrant Association (RCMA). Based in Florida, RCMA receives millions of taxpayer dollars to fund its programs. In 2023 alone, the nonprofit was awarded $91.8 million in federal and state grants—primarily from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services—accounting for 95 percent of its total budget. When an organization receives nearly all its funding from the U.S. government and abides by lengthy government regulations in how it operates, it’s only technically a separate entity from the federal government. In reality, this isn’t a true nonprofit but rather a heavily funded, quasi-government program operating under the guise of a private organization.

RCMA provides free early childhood education, charter schools, and family support services specifically targeted at migrant families. According to its records, it operates 56 child development centers and three charter schools, serving over 4,600 children in 20 counties across Florida. While it doesn’t publish exact numbers, many of the children it serves are here illegally.

Their daycare offers free full-time childcare from six weeks to six years of age and what they call “culturally relevant and nutritionally balanced” meals. They also state that they serve “mostly Hispanic children with immigrant parents.” Families must meet income limits to qualify for most of these free programs, and at least one parent must be employed in migrant or seasonal farmwork. No U.S. citizenship is required. In fact, if you are a U.S. citizen who isn’t employed in farmwork, you would not qualify. A quick look at their website makes it clear who they are prioritizing—not American citizens, but illegal immigrants.

Controversy arose in December 2024, when RCMA had to pay $585,513 to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for improperly charging expenses to their Head Start and Early Head Start grants. They were requesting vendors to deceptively backdate invoices to make it appear that certain expenses were within a grant period when, in fact, these expenses occurred after the grant year ended. I wonder if these expenses include the $1.1 million spent on travel by the organization’s employees or the $1.1 million spent on conventions and conferences. Regardless, these federal dollars should provide preschool education for low-income American families, but instead a massive chunk of that funding is being funneled into serving illegal immigrant children and the employees that work for them.

Free Preschool for Illegal Immigrants

Let’s put this in perspective. The average American family pays between $8,000 and $15,000 per year for preschool, which can climb even higher in states such as California and New York. Yet through organizations like RCMA, illegal immigrants are getting free preschool, paid for by taxpayers. While some no-cost preschool programs are available for U.S. citizens, they are usually only for those living at or below the poverty level and certainly don’t admit children as young as six weeks.

American parents, many of whom are barely getting by, must jump through hoops, pay out of pocket, or go into debt just to ensure their children receive early education. Meanwhile, families who entered the country illegally can enroll their kids in a taxpayer-funded program with no consequences and no contribution to the system. Something is deeply wrong here.

This is not about denying education to children who are already here. As a public school teacher, my job was to serve any child put into my classroom, and as someone who has worked firsthand with migrant students, I know they are not to blame for their parents’ decisions. But at the same time, we cannot continue rewarding illegal immigration by offering free education, housing, and welfare benefits that many American citizens can’t access.

Organizations like RCMA should not be receiving millions of taxpayer dollars. Private charities, churches, and community groups can choose to help illegal immigrants if they wish, but American tax dollars should not be footing the bill. Continuing down this path will only encourage more illegal immigration, creating an endless cycle in which our schools, hospitals, and welfare systems are stretched to the limit while hard-working American families are left behind.