A state lawmaker has asked Gov. Greg Abbott to expand the upcoming special session call to consider legislation that demands the federal government reimburse Texas for the cost of educating unlawful migrants.
Sen. Drew Springer (R-Muenster) explained his rationale for the potential law, noting that the public education system and taxpaying Texans are bearing the weight of those who enter the country illegally.
“Texas taxpayers should not bear the financial burden of the federal government’s failed immigration policies alone,” he said. “The truth is that as long as we have a President who refuses to secure the southern border, the cost will only continue to increase.”
In a letter to Abbott, Springer said, “I respectfully ask you to consider adding legislation requiring the federal government to refund Texas for any undocumented child educated in a Texas public school.”
“The Supreme Court’s 1982 ruling in Plyler v. Doe has resulted in Texas carrying the financial burden of educating illegal migrant children,” he continued. “Last year, you stated your interest in challenging this issue as the expenses that Texas has incurred have extraordinarily grown over the last forty years due to the federal government’s failed immigration policies.”
Springer previously filed a bill to that effect during the regular session of the 88th Legislature, but it did not get passed.
“The bill stated that if the federal government does not enter into an agreement with Texas to pay for the cost of educating illegal migrant children, they will not be admitted to public schools,” he said. “I carefully crafted this bill to withstand potential court challenges so that Texas taxpayers will be relieved of this financial burden.”
“The cost of educating illegal migrant children in Texas schools is between $5 billion and $8 billion annually,” Springer claimed. “However, since I filed SB 923 nearly eight months ago, President Biden’s border crises [sic] has only grown worse, increasing the cost to educate illegal migrants by another $1 billion with no end in sight.”
Texans for Strong Borders responded to the letter, saying, “We totally agree — Texans should not be forced to foot the bill for the education of illegal aliens because of the failure of the federal government. They have no right to be here in the first place, and should be returned to their countries of origin as soon as possible.”
Rep. Nate Schatzline (R-Fort Worth) also reacted positively, posting on social media, “Fantastic! Let’s GET IT DONE!”
“A report from former state senator Don Huffines’ Liberty Foundation suggested that since 2013, Texas taxpayers have spent more than $52.5 billion on educating unlawful migrants.”
Others were less enthusiastic about the proposal.
One social media user wrote, “Texas does not want to educate it’s [sic] young?”
Another quipped, “If you don’t like living in a border state you can go back to where you came from.”
The situation at the border has continued to elevate tensions as historic levels of unlawful migration have put a strain on communities in Texas and elsewhere in the country. Still, White House officials have maintained that the federal government has a handle on the situation.
Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre recently said, “The president has done more to secure the border and to deal with this issue of immigration than anybody else.”
“He really has!” she continued, per Fox News. “Look, the president has done what he can from here, from the federal government, from the White House to put forth and manage our border in a safe and humane way to respect the dignity of every human, as he says all the time, and making sure that our communities are safe.”