“…Republicans reduced access for Americans and legal immigrants by including the illegals.”
Pyler v Doe Reality
“Although Plyler was a seminal case concerning undocumented students’ access to education, it had several significant shortcomings. Most notably, it applied only to K-12 public education, so federal and state laws that bar undocumented students’ access to postsecondary college education remain in place today.” From the Columbia Law Review, September, 2018.
The landmark 1982 Plyer v Doe Supreme Court decision began when a Texas school district tried to exclude illegal aliens from an education by charging tuition in K-12 public schools. Without getting into eye-glazing detail, as referred to above, the decision requires American taxpayers to fund a K-12, public school education regardless of student’s immigration status. School districts cannot ask about immigration status.
Mostly from people who want to continue the lunacy of including illegal aliens in Georgia’s Dual Enrollment (DE) program, we are hearing the ridiculous assertion that the Plyler v Doe SCOTUS ruling somehow prevents excluding illegals from DE “because we can’t ask them about immigration status.” Nonsense.
For one thing, we dont need to ask – merely require that all DE beneficiaries be either U.S. citizens or Lawful Permanent Residents (aka “green card” holders). An application for DE is handled by the Georgia Student Finance Commission. And they make it clear no SSN is required.
According to the Georgia Department of Education “Dual Enrollment is designed to prepare students for college and career opportunities leading students to postsecondary institutions for an industry-recognized certification or licensure, an associate and/or higher college degree, and successful employment.”
- Related reading from the U.S. Dept. of Education: “School districts may not request information about the citizenship or immigration status of students or their families with the purpose or result of denying them access to educational opportunities.”
Georgia taxpayers are paying 100% of the college tuition — and books and fees for DE recipients – including the illegal aliens. Here, all concerned need to be reminded that illegal aliens are not eligible for employment under federal law. Why are we prepping them for a career? Is it a nod to an upcoming amnesty attempt?
College classes are not K-12. The very fact that tuition is involved clearly separates Dual Enrollment from K-12. Nothing in Plyler v Doe applies to DE. It’s true that school districts are prohibited from asking K-12 students about their immigration status. But again, it is not necessary to ask about immigration status to keep illegal aliens out of DE – just as Georgia excludes them from the recently instituted K-12 “school choice” benefit (*see line 342 of 2024’s SB 233).
The 2025 state budget has more than $91 million ready to go for the DE program.
In a cost reduction move several years ago, the Republican-ruled General Assembly put a limit on the number of class hours any DE student could take instead of excluding the illegal aliens. Put another way, Republicans reduced access for Americans and legal immigrants by including the illegals.
- Related reading: Model language for DE reform in Georgia
About 4000 illegal aliens graduate from Georgia high schools each year according to recent figures from the leftist “The Guardian” news outlet.
How many illegal aliens are getting a no-cost college education courtesy of our tax dollars from the DE benefit? Including this writer, for most pro-enforcement conservatives, one is too many. Judging from the absence of loud and fearless pushback on the Dual Enrollment arrangement, that sentiment apparently does not apply to most Republicans.
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A version of this column was also published in the December 9, 2024 edition of the Glynn County newspaper The Islander.
*Updated with a correction on the year SB 233 “school choice” bill passed which was 2024.
