EXCLUSIVE: Lawmakers to Probe Whether Free Education Incentivizes Illegal Immigration
Pedro Rodriguez | March 16, 2026
FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—A House subcommittee will examine whether the Supreme Court’s decision that states cannot deny the children of illegal aliens access to taxpayer-funded K-12 education incentivized more aliens to come to the U.S. illegally.
The House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government will hold a hearing Wednesday on the Supreme Court’s decision in Plyler v. Doe (1982), Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, told The Daily Signal Friday. The Supreme Court allowed illegal alien children to enroll in public schools, ruling that state laws preventing their enrollment violated the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment.
“Decades ago, the Supreme Court’s erroneous decision in Plyler v. Doe set a misguided precedent by extending taxpayer-funded public education to those in the country illegally,” Roy told The Daily Signal. “As our schools face growing strain, it’s time for Congress and the courts to reexamine this decision and put American students and taxpayers first.”
The hearing will also explore the “policy implications” of “allowing large numbers of illegal aliens to overwhelm public schools, strain resources, teachers, and hinder class learning.”
Witnesses, who have yet to be formally announced, will help the subcommittee identify how Congress could push the Supreme Court to “rectify this judicial and policy gap.”
https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/03/16/exclusive-lawmakers-probe-whether-free-education-incentivizes-illegal-immigration/