The Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Education and Executive Officer of the Oklahoma State Department of Education, Ryan Walters, today released a letter he sent to Vice President Kamala Harris dated yesterday, October 29. Walters demands reimbursement for the costs incurred by the state for illegal immigration. The estimate of Harris’ failure to stop criminal invasion over America’s borders is estimated to be a burden on Oklahoman taxpayers of $474,900,000.00 (four hundred seventy-four million, nine hundred thousand dollars) the estimate to date and growing.
Walters places this financial obligation squarely on the federal government writing in a release with the letter, “Kamala Harris’ Fiasco at the border has led directly to an enormous financial burden on all Americans, especially Oklahomans.
“Oklahomans are kind, hard-working folks, but their patience with being asked to foot the bill for the federal government’s failure has run out. I demand Oklahoma taxpayers be reimbursed for the impact illegal immigration presents to our state. We cannot effectively budget or allocate critical resources when we have not accounting of the cost that illegal immigration places on our schools,” Walters said.
In August, Superintendent Walters announced that OSDE would be working with school districts to examine the financial impact borne by Oklahoma taxpayers for the education of illegal immigrant children. After a thorough analysis to determine the most accurate estimate of this cost, the necessary reimbursement demand was calculated to be $474,900,000.00.
This demand amount is, by necessity, an estimate because only the Biden-Harris administration knows the true number of illegal immigrants crossing this nation’s borders and the actual costs of illegal immigration.
Walters writes, “…it is my duty to ensure that the resources allocated to our public schools are counted for and used in the most effective manner possible for the benefit of Oklahoma students’ education.”
“The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”) has encountered close to half a million unaccompanied, alien children since you and President Joe Biden assumed office.2 Educating these children imposes a significant financial burden and presents additional obstacles that your Administration seems to ignore,” Walters notes. “For example, greater challenges now exist in the areas of English proficiency, tutoring ESL students, classroom management, transportation, and budgeting for future costs. Each of these issues may have permanent implications on the education and academic performance of students in Oklahoma public schools.
“In conclusion, President Biden tasked you with remediating the crisis of illegal immigration at the southern U.S. border. Under your supervision, the costs in education due to illegal immigration have risen astronomically. Your failed oversight and efforts are a direct cause of the current crises Oklahoma and other states now face. Oklahoma taxpayers, schools, teachers, and parents should not bear the burden of your failings. They deserve better. Monetary relief will not solve all the challenges we now face. But repayment is warranted and will provide an adequate foundation as Oklahomans work together to solve the emergencies you and this Administration have caused.”
A PDF of the letter follows.