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Abstract: Multicultural education is an educational reform movement designed to make the total school environment more equitable for all students. Historically this movement focused on areas that received insufficient attention in the curriculum. These areas included race, class, gender, religion, language, exceptionality, and sexual orientation. Another area that has received minimal attention is immigration status. Immigration has often been treated as the source of racial, religious, and linguistic differences. However, immigration status itself is a significant form of difference that shapes individuals’ right to remain in the United States, access to employment and education, and opportunities for political participation. This chapter describes the unauthorized migrant population in the United States, explains the difference that immigration status makes in the lives of school-aged children and their families, and identifies specific issues that educators will face when acknowledging the varied immigration statuses within their classrooms and schools.
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