AUSTIN, TEXAS — Today, Mexican American Legislative Caucus Chairman State Representative Ramon Romero, Jr. and Texas House Democratic Caucus Chairman State Representative Gene Wu sent a letter to U.S. Representative Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, opposing a congressional hearing aimed at revisiting Plyler v. Doe, the landmark Supreme Court decision guaranteeing children access to public education regardless of immigration status.
The hearing, scheduled for March 18 by the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government, seeks to challenge the 1982 ruling that originated in Texas.
“Plyler v. Doe affirmed a basic principle: children should not be denied access to public education because of their immigration status,” said Chairman Romero. “Reopening this settled Supreme Court decision does nothing to strengthen our schools.”
“Children belong in classrooms. That’s what the Supreme Court ruled nearly 50 years ago, and nothing has changed since then,” said Texas House Democratic Leader Rep. Gene Wu. “Overturning Plyler would amount to telling millions of children across America that they don’t deserve to go to school. It’s cruel, and it accomplishes nothing for the millions of Texans who need affordable healthcare, quality neighborhood schools, and a job that pays their rent.”
In the letter, Romero and Wu warn that even holding a hearing questioning whether children should be allowed in public schools sends a damaging signal to students, educators, and families.
The full letter can be viewed here.