Some White House aides reportedly joined in an effort to try to limit undocumented immigrants’ access to public benefits, including the public school system.
Bloomberg reported Saturday that Trump aide Stephen Miller led an effort beginning in 2017 that sought out ways to limit public school enrollment among undocumented immigrants, and pressed Cabinet officials as well as the White House Domestic Policy Council to aid his efforts.
{mosads}The plan was eventually abandoned, with Bloomberg reporting that Miller was informed that his efforts would run afoul of a Supreme Court decision guaranteeing access to public schools to all residents of the U.S. including undocumented immigrants.
Miller’s efforts reportedly got as far as the crafting of a guidance memo to be sent by the Department of Education (DOE) informing states that they could refuse public school access to undocumented students.
The reported memo was never released, and a spokesperson for DOE told Bloomberg that Education Secretary Betsy DeVos “would never consider it.”
The White House did not immediately return a request for comment from The Hill on Saturday.
Frank Sharry, director of the immigrant advocacy group America’s Voice, ripped the reported effort.
“Such a radical policy change would be unlawful, unacceptable and un-American,” Sharry told Bloomberg. “The notion that we should punish little kids who go to school and pledge allegiance to our flag because Trump and Miller want to make America white again is incredibly cruel, dark and sinister.”
Bloomberg cited an unnamed senior administration official who broadly pushed back on accounts of Miller’s initiative as coming from disgruntled bureaucrats. The official also emphasized the “strain” undocumented immigrants put on social services, the outlet reported.