In an interview with KOCO 5 News, Walters touted a proposed administrative rule requiring schools to count students who do not provide citizenship documentation and send that list to the state department. The State Board of Education is expected to vote on the slate of proposed administrative rules at its Jan. 28 meeting.
On Trump’s deportation executive orders, Walters said in the interview Oklahoma will work with the administration.
“We will make sure that he has the information he needs,” Walters said. “Any support he needs on enforcing those policies, we will happily assist.”
Friday, Walters issued a press release doubling down. It said the “liberal media” does not understand the weight of “unchecked illegal immigration” or the “responsibility OSDE has to Oklahoma kids.”
Walters said allowing ICE agents in schools would be to “keep [immigrant] families together.”
“Oklahomans and the country elected President Trump, and we will do everything possible to help put Oklahoma students first,” Walters said in the release. “For years, the liberal media has been vilifying Republicans for separating illegal immigrant children from their parents. Now they want us to explain why we’d let ICE agents into schools. The answer is simple: we want to ensure that deported parents are reconnected with their children and keep families together.”
Despite the threat of ICE agents in schools, Walters told KOCO there was no cause for worry.
“The left has stoked all these fears and lies about what immigration policies look like,” Walters said.
Heightened rhetoric around immigration has prompted districts to respond, including Tulsa Union Public Schools, whose minority enrollment is 70%.
In a Friday letter to staff, Superintendent John Federline addressed Trump’s recent move to rescind a Biden-era policy that protected certain areas like churches and schools from immigration enforcement.
“I want to emphasize that our schools remain safe havens for all children. This is not only a moral imperative but also a matter of law,” Federline wrote. “The Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Plyler v. Doe (1982) affirmed that all children, regardless of their immigration status, have the right to a public education.”
He urged staff to remain “vigilant, informed and supportive.”
“While recent federal changes may have introduced uncertainty, our focus remains clear,” Federline wrote. “Our school leaders and staff will continue to work closely with legal experts, community organizations, and local authorities to ensure that we are prepared to address any challenges that may arise while safeguarding our students’ rights.”
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