--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For every child of an illegal immigrant…" description: "\"For every child of an illegal immigrant who's a valedictorian, there's another 100 out there who weigh 130 pounds and they've got calves the size of ca..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/65f/michael-c-burgess-67545_blogs_for-every-child-of-an-illegal-immigrant_2823273.png" --- # For every child of an illegal immigrant who's a… ![“For every child of an illegal immigrant who's a valedictorian, there's another 100 out there who weigh 130 pounds and they've got calves the size of cantaloupes because they're hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert…” quote by Michael C. Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/65f/michael-c-burgess-67545_blogs_for-every-child-of-an-illegal-immigrant_2823273.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/65f/michael-c-burgess-67545_blogs_for-every-child-of-an-illegal-immigrant_2823273.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/65f/michael-c-burgess-67545_blogs_for-every-child-of-an-illegal-immigrant_2823273.png) > “For every child of an illegal immigrant who's a valedictorian, there's another 100 out there who weigh 130 pounds and they've got calves the size of cantaloupes because they're hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert (http://takingnote.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/08/12/steve-king-still-stands-by-cantaloupe-comments/?\_php=true&\_type=blogs&\_r=0).” Michael C. Burgess ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Success among illegal immigrant children contrasts starkly with those forced into illicit labor, highlighting systemic inequality. **In simple terms:** Success and hardship coexist in immigrant families. Key Takeaway Address systemic barriers for all children. Themes immigration inequality education labor exploitation Mood concerned advocacy Type social political When to use this quote - education reform - immigration law - community support - health services Key Concepts social justice policy analysis Questions to Reflect On - How can policy better support immigrant youth? - What reforms reduce exploitative labor? A Different Perspective Data may be anecdotal and not representative. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Blogs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blogs/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Desert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desert/) [Illegal immigrants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illegal-immigrants/) [Immigrants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immigrants/) [Kings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kings/) [Marijuana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marijuana/) [Valedictorians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/valedictorians/) ## Related quotes > [For everyone who's a valedictorian, there's another 100 out there who weigh 130 pounds - and they've got calves the size of cantaloupes because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-king/for-everyone-who-s-a-valedictorian-there-s-another-100-out-there-who/) [Steve King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-king/) > [So many kids dream about playing in the NFL. But I was 130 pounds in ninth grade. I looked around and didn't see any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-burroughs/so-many-kids-dream-about-playing-in-the-nfl-but-i-was-130-pounds-in/) [Jordan Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-burroughs/) > [I tried to do the impossible on paper -- beat the middleweight champ coming up from 130 pounds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-de-la-hoya/i-tried-to-do-the-impossible-on-paper-beat-the-middleweight-champ/) [Oscar De La Hoya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-de-la-hoya/) > [I moved up to 130 pounds hoping champions in this division were not cowards like those at 126 pounds. It looks like I was wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vasyl-lomachenko/i-moved-up-to-130-pounds-hoping-champions-in-this-division-were-not/) [Vasyl Lomachenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vasyl-lomachenko/) > [Only in math problems can you buy 60 cantaloupes and nobody asks what the hell is wrong with you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate/only-in-math-problems-can-you-buy-60-cantaloupes-and-nobody-asks-what/) [Nate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate/) > [Only in math can you buy sixty cantaloupes and no one asks what the hell is wrong with you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-m-schulz/only-in-math-can-you-buy-sixty-cantaloupes-and-no-one-asks-what-the/) [Charles M. Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-m-schulz/) > [Only in a math problem can a person buy 60 cantaloupes and not be questioned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peanuts/only-in-a-math-problem-can-a-person-buy-60-cantaloupes-and-not-be/) Peanuts > [Acting in 'Star Wars' I felt like a raisin in a giant fruit salad, and I didn't even know who the cantaloupes were.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-hamill/acting-in-star-wars-i-felt-like-a-raisin-in-a-giant-fruit-salad-and-i/) [Mark Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-hamill/) > [“Uncle Albert fished in a canvas bag for bread, wine, cheese, and dried salami. The Beltraminis broke out five ripe cantaloupes. Pino’s father sat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-t-sullivan/uncle-albert-fished-in-a-canvas-bag-for-bread-wine-cheese-and-dried/) [Mark T. Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-t-sullivan/) > [Girls are more academically powerful. They make the grades, they run the student activities, they are the valedictorians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-hoff-sommers/girls-are-more-academically-powerful-they-make-the-grades-they-run/) [Christina Hoff Sommers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-hoff-sommers/) > [There's got to be a point where we fix the system so that legal immigration is easier than illegal immigration and show respect for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeb-bush/there-s-got-to-be-a-point-where-we-fix-the-system-so-that-legal/) [Jeb Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeb-bush/) > [I rebelled by not getting straight A's and not following the path that my elder sister did. She was valedictorian and is very exemplary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-garner/i-rebelled-by-not-getting-straight-a-s-and-not-following-the-path/) [Jennifer Garner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-garner/) > [It's been a horrifying academic secret for decades that the children who walk away with the highest formal honors, the valedictorians and National Merit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-taylor-gatto/it-s-been-a-horrifying-academic-secret-for-decades-that-the-children/) [John Taylor Gatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taylor-gatto/) > [Each email contains an unsubscribe link. We will NEVER sell, rent, loan, or abuse your email address in ANY way. I was a very,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-lavin/each-email-contains-an-unsubscribe-link-we-will-never-sell-rent-loan-2/) [Christine Lavin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-lavin/) > [Gotta have safety at our borders. We're a sovereign nation, gotta protect our borders. Make sure the workplace doesn't become a magnet for folks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xavier-becerra/gotta-have-safety-at-our-borders-we-re-a-sovereign-nation-gotta/) [Xavier Becerra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/xavier-becerra/) ## More by Michael C. Burgess > [Many people live alone and like it, but most of them live alone and look at it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-burgess/many-people-live-alone-and-like-it-but-most-of-them-live-alone-and/) Michael C. Burgess > [Earlier in my political career, I had the opportunity to read the speech, and I almost threw up. (http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/post/santorum-says-he-almost-threw-up-after-reading-jfk-speech-on-separation-of-church-and-state/2012/02/26/gIQA91hubR\_blog.html)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-burgess/earlier-in-my-political-career-i-had-the-opportunity-to-read-the-2/) Michael C. Burgess > [All I can tell you is what I see at home- a lot of lessons learned from '86. That, 'OK, we'll go one-time amnesty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-burgess/all-i-can-tell-you-is-what-i-see-at-home-a-lot-of-lessons-learned/) Michael C. Burgess Explore all 4 Michael C. Burgess quotes ## More Blogs quotes > [It turns out that social networks drive a heck of a lot of traffic to blogs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-mullenweg/it-turns-out-that-social-networks-drive-a-heck-of-a-lot-of-traffic-to/) [Matt Mullenweg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-mullenweg/) > [Authors of published papers and editors of scientific journals can, unfortunately, be slow to come to terms with criticism, and it's good that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-gelman/authors-of-published-papers-and-editors-of-scientific-journals-can/) Andrew Gelman > [There's plenty to criticize about the mass media, but they are the source of regular information about a wide range of topics. You can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-s-plenty-to-criticize-about-the-mass-media-but-they-are-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Here's the point - and Jonah Goldberg reminds us of this. He wrote a blog post that was titled "The MacGuffinization of American Politics."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/here-s-the-point-and-jonah-goldberg-reminds-us-of-this-he-wrote-a/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [I have a blog where I keep in touch with my fans. I write about things that are important to me. Sometimes on there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/i-have-a-blog-where-i-keep-in-touch-with-my-fans-i-write-about-things/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I also like to use a sensational headline. Many people read blogs in aggregators, which generally show only the headline. So you have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-wilson/i-also-like-to-use-a-sensational-headline-many-people-read-blogs-in/) [Fred Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-wilson/) > [I get questions from Richard Sandomir at the New York Times or Michael Hiestand at USA Today about issues .., 'well, there's a blog…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-buck/i-get-questions-from-richard-sandomir-at-the-new-york-times-or/) [Joe Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-buck/) > [If the word police want to come and get me, they can come and get me. If someone wants to blog about me, fine.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-brennan/if-the-word-police-want-to-come-and-get-me-they-can-come-and-get-me/) [Neal Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-brennan/) > [The audience has spoken, they want stories. They're dying for them. They're rooting for us to give them the right thing and they will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-spacey/the-audience-has-spoken-they-want-stories-they-re-dying-for-them-they/) [Kevin Spacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-spacey/) > [I hated the blog hype and how fast everything was happening. It didn't feel natural to me. But at the same time, what's more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-angelakos/i-hated-the-blog-hype-and-how-fast-everything-was-happening-it-didn-t/) [Michael Angelakos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-angelakos/) > [The biggest journalistic game-changer of our time has been the rise of social media and the overgrowth of faux news sources - league- and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lipsyte/the-biggest-journalistic-game-changer-of-our-time-has-been-the-rise/) [Robert Lipsyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lipsyte/) > [One of the very few things that I actually read about myself on blogs that got to me was people saying, 'Ne-Yo doesn't do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ne-yo/one-of-the-very-few-things-that-i-actually-read-about-myself-on-blogs/) [Ne-Yo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ne-yo/) > [I think a lot of journal articles should really be blogs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-silver/i-think-a-lot-of-journal-articles-should-really-be-blogs/) [Nate Silver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-silver/) > [I keep in touch with my fans by keeping a blog online and I try to answer questions every day. I also have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/i-keep-in-touch-with-my-fans-by-keeping-a-blog-online-and-i-try-to/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [As Barbara Streisand discovered, adopting a militaristic posture against a tech-savvy mob of civil libertarians is not going to be of much help: Many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeny-morozov/as-barbara-streisand-discovered-adopting-a-militaristic-posture/) [Evgeny Morozov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeny-morozov/) [Browse all 380 Blogs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blogs/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "For every child of an illegal immigrant who's a valedictorian, there's another 100 out there who weigh 130 pounds and they've got calves the size of cantaloupes because they're hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert (http://takingnote.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/08/12/steve-king-still-stands-by-cantaloupe-comments/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0).", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michael C. 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