NASHVILLE – Gov. Bill Lee’s education savings account legislation has come under fire from a national group favoring strict curbs on immigration which charges the Republican’s school voucher proposal will “inevitably provide school vouchers for illegal aliens.”
The Federation for American Immigration Reform noted Lee, a Republican, pledged in his 2018 campaign that he would “oppose” policies that “would make Tennessee a magnet for illegal immigration.”
“Despite his promise to dry up incentives attracting illegal aliens to the United States, Governor Lee’s Education Savings Plan will inevitably provide school vouchers for illegal aliens,” FAIR charged.
Citing a 1981 U.S. Supreme Court decision that held undocumented children are entitled to a free public education under equal protection the Constitution’s equal protection clause, FAIR said as a result, public schools stopped asking about students’ immigration status.
“Vouchers use taxpayer funds and the Pyler holding prohibits school systems from determining which students are illegally in the U.S. Therefore, taxpayer monies can and will be provided for vouchers for illegal alien.”