House votes to ban the housing of illegal immigrants in public schools
W. James Antle III
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The House voted Wednesday night to pass a bill that would ban the use of public schools to shelter illegal immigrants.
Dubbed the Schools Not Shelters Act, the legislation would block educational institutions that receive federal funding from housing illegal immigrants as many communities struggle to cope with a recent migrant surge.
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The bill passed the House largely along party lines, 222 to 201, but faces an uncertain future. The White House came out against the legislation earlier in the day, though it stopped short of saying President Joe Biden would veto it.
“The administration is strongly opposed to H.R. 3941, the Schools Not Shelters Act of 2023, which would supersede local control, interfering with the ability of states and municipalities to effectively govern and make decisions about their school buildings,” the White House statement reads.
The measure would need to pass the Senate to reach Biden’s desk in the first place. Democrats still have a narrow majority in that chamber, but on some hot-button issues the party’s senators who are up for reelection next year in red or swing states have defected and handed the GOP wins.
Republicans argued that Biden’s handling of immigration and the border necessitated the bill.
“There are two people who are truly responsible for the influx of millions of migrants into our country and city: President Biden, who opened our borders on on day one of his administration with no order, process or plan, and Mayor Adams, who misinterpreted New York City’s ‘Right to Shelter’ law and has continued to incentivize migrants with free housing and benefits,” Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) said in a statement afterward.
“By housing illegal immigrants on school campuses, children are being put at risk,” Rep. John Rose (R-TN) said on the House floor Monday. “And elected officials who endorse these plans are sending a clear message to children and parents that illegal immigrants and President Biden’s failure to secure the southern border matter more than their education.”
“The House of Representatives took an important step toward protecting American schoolchildren and the integrity of their education with passage of H.R. 3941, the Schools Not Shelters Act,” Dan Stein, president of the Federation of American Immigration Reform, said in a statement after the vote.
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The legislation passed as part of a marathon House session on Wednesday night.
A handful of Democrats joined Republicans in approving the bill.