State schools are struggling to outpace the surge of illegal alien students being enrolled in public education, per a recent report by the Heritage Foundation.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, when a child unaccompanied by an adult or legal guardian is apprehended at the southwest border by immigration authorities, the child is transferred to the custody of the Office of Refugee and Resettlement “while they wait for immigration proceedings.”
The ORR subsequently releases illegal minors to sponsors—who, oftentimes, are family members. Sponsors are considered custodians throughout the child’s immigration proceedings.
In Texas, the ORR released 16,394 unaccompanied minors to sponsors during fiscal year 2023. According to the Heritage Foundation’s report, “At $13,900 per pupil, per year, those additional students cumulatively cost nearly an additional $228 million for one year.”
