(FiveNation.com)- Gov. Greg Abbott intends to challenge a Supreme Court ruling requiring states to provide free public education to illegal aliens. Plyler v. Doe was a landmark decision that overturned a Texas law that barred public education funding for children who were not legally in the United States.
While appearing on a Conservative radio program, Governor Abbott told host Joe “Pags” Pagliarulo that Texas should try to minimize the state’s role in educating noncitizens. He believes Texas will resurrect the case and confront the issue again. He explained that the costs are astounding, and the situation is different from when Plyler v. Doe was issued many decades ago.
Conservatives have made illegal immigration a key campaign issue, including Abbott, who last year announced Operation Lone Star, a border security operation that sent hundreds of Texas National Guard troops and Department of Public Safety officers to the border.
During the interview, Pagliarulo spoke to Governor Abbott about how he believed illegal immigration was negatively affecting the Texas public education system. He explained that it is a significant financial strain on communities that must pay higher property taxes to fund kids as young as five years old who do not have remedial English abilities. He then asked the Texas governor how the state could handle this problem.
Abbott agreed that the state and the public school system suffered, and he blamed the Plyler v. Doe decision for forcing Texas to bear the burden. He expressed worry about the predicted rise in migrants entering Texas if the Biden administration cancels Title 42, a Trump-era public health policy that accelerated the deportation of migrants at the border, including those seeking asylum. That leads to school obligations, as well as other duties, that are just unsustainable and costly, Abbott explained. He then claimed that the federal government should pay for the education of alien migrants’ children.
According to news reports, Abbott’s remarks drew criticism from Democrats.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki claimed that denying public education to children, including migrants, is not a “mainstream” point of view.
Beto O’Rourke, a Democrat running for Texas governor against Abbott, claimed the Governor was going to defund public schools for all students.
It is possible for Texas Legislature to enact a measure comparable to the 1982 statute that was invalidated. Civil rights organizations are likely to file legal challenges, which could send the case back to the Supreme Court.
The next regular session of the Legislature will commence in January 2023.
