Rohrabacher Has New Ploy : Government: Congressman to step up drive against illegal immigration by asking Congress to cut off certain types of aid to undocumented schoolchildren.

Stepping up his attack on illegal immigration, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach) proposed Thursday that the federal government cut off certain types of financial aid to undocumented children in the schools.

“I’ve been on this issue for three years now, and my approach has always been the same--if we’re going to get control of this flood of illegal immigration, we’ve got to eliminate the benefit package that serves as their main attraction for coming here,” he said in an interview Thursday night.

The move, sure to inflame an already volatile issue, drew an immediate rebuke from minority activists who called the proposal both unconstitutional and immoral.

“I think the Congress will see it for what it is--political grandstanding without any substance,” said John Palacio, a director of the Orange County chapter of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund. “What he’s really talking about is denying U.S. children an opportunity to be educated, and that’s simply unconstitutional.”

But Rohrabacher said he believes he stands a real chance of success following his highly publicized push to ban long-term aid to illegal immigrants who were hurt by the Jan. 17 Northridge earthquake.

Rohrabacher’s proposal, which he plans to offer next week as an amendment to an educational funding bill now being considered by the House of Representatives, would apply only to Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Acts of 1965.

That portion provides federal assistance to districts with students whose families live below the poverty level, although Rohrabacher said he was uncertain how much money is funded through the program.

The congressman also wants to require school districts to tally the costs of educating illegal immigrants and report them to the federal government.

Rohrabacher said he has offered similar proposals in the past to restrict funding for illegal immigrants, but his amendments have invariably been rejected at the committee level. This time, because of the rules by which the education bill is to be considered, Rohrabacher said he is confident that the full House will be able to consider his amendments.

“We’ve finally got enough support now that we’ll be able to offer these amendments on virtually every piece of legislation that comes through Congress. Public outrage is at such a level that basically the Democratic Congress can’t just put up roadblocks anymore,” he said.

But Arturo Montez, an Orange County activist who is a state director of the League of United Latin American Citizens, said Rohrabacher’s ideas for reforming the educational system are misguided.

“I think the best example of the need for education is in Congress--just look at the intelligence level there,” he said. “What Rohrabacher’s trying to do is prevent the education level in Orange County from getting any higher so people like him will remain in office.”

And Palacio said that Rohrabacher’s proposals would place an “unwieldy” burden on local school systems, forcing administrators to become de facto agents of the Immigration and Naturalization Service to weed out undocumented children.

In addition, he said, the idea of denying educational aid to illegal immigrants would fuel discrimination against children who “do not look like ‘typical Americans’ ” and would violate a 1982 Supreme Court ruling that mandates public education for all children.