WASHINGTON (AP) — Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said Tuesday that decisions on whether to report undocumented students to authorities rest with local communities.
DeVos was asked during a congressional hearing whether teachers or principals should notify authorities that a student is undocumented.
“I think it’s a school decision, a local community decision,” she said.
DeVos added, “We have laws and we also are compassionate and I urge this body to do its job and address and clarify where there is confusion around this.”
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But Lorella Praeli, director of immigration policy and campaign at the American Civil Liberties Union, disputed that. Praeli said in a statement that a school taking such action would violate the U.S. Constitution’s guarantee of education to every child.
“Let’s be clear: Any school that reports a child to ICE would violate the Constitution,” Praeli said, referring to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “The Supreme Court has made clear that every child in America has a right to be a basic education, regardless of immigration status.”