Top State Official Asks Harris to Reimburse Expenses for Illegal Immigrants in Oklahoma

In a letter Tuesday to Harris and the White House, Oklahoma schools Superintendent Ryan Walters criticized the Biden-Harris administration for its “complete failure to secure the border and enforce immigration laws.” Citing data from the Washington-based Federation for Immigration Reform, the Republican demanded reimbursement of nearly $475 million for “the financial consequences Oklahoma taxpayers have suffered for the education of the children of illegal immigrants.”

“Under your leadership, education costs due to illegal immigration have increased astronomically,” Walters wrote in the letter, focusing on how President Joe Biden tapped Harris in 2021 to address the root causes of the border crisis. Along with the economy, immigration continues to be considered one of the most important issues for voters in this election.

“Your failed oversight and efforts are the direct cause of the current crisis that Oklahoma and other states now face,” added Walters, a former Oklahoma education secretary who has been criticized by Democrats for being an “ardent” conservative. “Oklahoma taxpayers, schools, teachers and parents should not bear the burden of your mistakes. They deserve better.”

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The letter, which comes just a week before the 2024 election between Harris and former President Donald Trump, illustrates how some state-level Republicans are seeking cash relief for what they say is the Biden-Harris administration’s mishandling of the border crisis. Gov. Greg Abbott (R-Texas) issued an executive order in August seeking to force the federal government to reimburse undocumented immigrants for health care costs. In April, House Republicans impeached Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who insisted that DHS was “not responsible for the broken system” of dealing with the influx of illegal immigrants.

In his letter Tuesday, Walters said the staggering $474.9 million figure he cited was “an estimate because only your Administration knows the true number of illegal immigrants crossing this nation’s borders and the true costs of illegal immigration.”

Last March, the Federation for American Immigration Reform released a report saying the cost of 183,000 undocumented immigrants and their children cost Oklahoma taxpayers more than $782 million.

“U.S. Customs and Border Protection has encountered nearly half a million unaccompanied alien children since you and President Joe Biden took office,” Walters Harris said in a letter that cited federal data showing that about 3,000 unaccompanied children are immigrants were sent to sponsors in the United States. Oklahoma from 2021 to 2023.

“Educating these children imposes a significant financial burden and creates additional barriers that your administration appears to be ignoring,” Walters said. “For example, there are now greater challenges in the areas of English language proficiency, teaching ESL students, classroom management, transportation, and budgeting for future expenses.”

It is unclear by what mechanism the federal government would approve the reimbursement Walters is seeking, but one conservative lawyer, Jeffrey Clark, pointed to the appropriations process. Clark, a former senior Justice Department official under Trump, said one option would be for the president to send a specific funding request to Congress.

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“This just underscores how important it is that not only does Trump win, but that we take back both the House and the Senate,” Clark said Washington Equizor.

The White House and the Department of Homeland Security did not respond to requests for comment.