Undocumented children and the US-born children of undocumented parents can be at a disadvantage because their parents may be reluctant to access the full range of support services available for their children.

Texas legislators are mulling a bill to reject the 14th Amendment and deny the benefits of citizenship to children born in this country to undocumented parents.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images U.S.-born children with their undocumented parents demonstrating in Washington against recent deportations in July.

When such families hear about the questions asked by hospital employees, Ms. Urrutia said, "it's likely that the undocumented immigrant parents will be terrified to seek care for their children, let alone themselves."

MALDEF has set up an education-litigation project, filed on behalf of undocumented parents' children barred from public schools.

Yes, he hasn't kept up with his Teabagger Weekly Report, which has been reporting diligently on the epidemic problem of "anchor babies," children born on US soil, thus citizens, despite undocumented parents.

This could mean, they said, that more undocumented parents in the United States are trusting their children to strangers.

The illegal and undocumented parent, seeking to put their child in public school," Mr. Giuliani said, "would not know whether the superintendent or the principal or the administrator of that school was going to ask a question: 'Are you a citizen?

He said that some may have children born in this country who are citizens and thus eligible for assistance, but that the agency would be required to report the undocumented parents to immigration authorities.

In January 2013, Foxx co-sponsored legislation that would stop children born in the United States to undocumented parents from gaining citizenship.