The worst part is that the parents have limited skills in which to earn income and pay taxes that contribute to their children's public education (not that they pay income taxes anyway).
What I find interesting is that many 1st generation Catholic immigrants (Irish, Italian & Polish) at the turn of the 20th century had smaller families as a result of dealing with the harsh economic climate. Nowadays, the 1st thing the illegals do is try and have as many kids as possible since the state picks up the tab on each one.
The thousands of illegal immigrants I've known pay social security and income taxes, sales tax, gas tax, etc. They qualify but don't ask for income tax refunds. Historically illegal Poles, but not illegal Hispanics or Asians, have collected social security. Thus illegal Hispanics and Asians have kept social security solvent.
..many 1st generation Catholic immigrants...
Yes, there is a problem with the generation thing. First generation immigrant Hispanic Catholics (and Protestants) have the value system of honesty, hardwork, family as the safetynet, don't trust or accept anything from the government.
But as immigrants become Americanized in the 2d and 3d generation, they accept Hollyweird values of disrespect and independence from the family. (See the movie Spanglish.) To become Americanized is to switch from expecting the extended family to be the safety net to expecting the government to be the safety net.
When conservatives criticize immigrants for hanging on to their culture, those conservatives don't realize that for the immigrant, it is a choice between raising a daughter with family values or raising a daugher with Hollyweird values. The immigrants are making the right choice.