Does Betsy DeVos care more about furthering the xenophobic and racist policies of this administration than she does about educating the children of this country? The education secretary’s latest statement would lead us to believe that is indeed the case, since she basically told schools to call the police on undocumented children who show up to get their legally mandated free public education.
HuffPost reports that during a hearing Tuesday before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.) asked DeVos if she thought school leaders should call Immigration and Customs Enforcement on students or their parents if they believed them to be undocumented.
“I think that’s a school decision, it’s a local community decision,” DeVos told the committee. “I refer to the fact that we have laws and we also are compassionate. I urge this body to do its job and address and clarify where there is confusion around this.”
Betsy DeVos, you ignorant slut.
Keep in mind that in 1982 in the landmark decision Plyler v. Doe, the Supreme Court ruled that states cannot constitutionally deny a free education to students based on their immigration status. By passively instructing schools to call ICE on undocumented students, DeVos is increasing the likelihood that students who fit that category will stop showing up for class. It is an underhanded way to deny them their free education.
When pressed by HuffPost to clarify DeVos’ statement, Department of Education press secretary Elizabeth Hill said, “Her position is that schools must comply with Plyler and all other applicable and relevant law.”
The vague double-talk is telling.
Betsy DeVos doesn’t care about educating children. She is yet another tool of this administration, put in place to dismantle everything this country claims to be about.