>> The challenge is put on our public systems is extraordinary. But know this and that is Texas
already long ago sue the federal government about having to incur the cost of the education program.
>> Yes. >> It's a case called
Plyler versus Doe. And the Supreme Court ruled against us
on the issue about denying, let's, let's say Texas having to bear that burden.
I think we will resurrect that case and challenge this issue again, because
the expenses are extraordinary. And the times are different than when Plyler
versus Doe was issued many decades ago. >> Very, very basically Plyler versus Doe
means if your kid is in the district, the kid gets a free public public education.
And of course, that burden goes to wherever the district is.
>> Okay, so that of course, is Greg Abbott, governor of Texas speaking to,
as my producer points out, some guy wearing silk pajamas, I guess. I don't know,
I wear the pineapple shirt, so I guess I can't throw stones.
But what they're talking about their if it's not easy to follow is they're talking about a
decision Plyler versus Doe way back in 1982. Now, the fact that it's way back doesn't mean that they
won't try to overturn it again. President doesn't matter. It doesn't matter how long it's been there
that Supreme Court decision required states to offer free public education to all children,
including those of undocumented immigrants.
And so that is what he's saying we're going to challenge Greg Abbott. They want to knock that
out, ostensibly immediately, what he's admitting to is so that we don't have to offer an education
to children of undocumented immigrants. So that is by itself awful, hateful,
cruel needless. But do you think Viviana that that's where they would end?
This movement, which has despised public education for longer than we've been alive, which frequently
during presidential campaigns will talk about like literally destroying the Department of Education.
You think that they won't eventually dabble at the possibility of getting rid of public
education entirely in Texas. I find that to be incredibly plausible, but we can start
where we're already at, which is they want to block the children
of undocumented immigrants from having access to an education.
>> Yeah, completely unconstitutional. It's been tried by many, many states
Texas being one California being one with prop 182. And what happens is when you start to
require proof of citizenship for attending public school
or getting emergency healthcare, it really gets into tricky unconstitutional waters
because you start who's getting targeted, who's getting asked for their papers.
It's really ugly for the same people who are arguing on behalf of the unborn to say things
like this about school aged children. They shouldn't have access to learn how to read
or write and calling it a burden and using words like illegal immigrants as well as not.
Instead of undocumented because this language is important as well, these are children and
they can try all they want. I really hope that the Supreme Court doesn't back away completely
on human rights across. And I mean really anything is possible at this point, because they don't seem
to have any respect for precedent, but this is something that many, many states have tried to do.
Texas has been really big on it, and you're right on the attack of public education
with the influx of charter schools and private schools and voucher programs.
The budgets for public education have increasingly been shrunk. The pandemic had a real
negative effect on public education and the education of children across the country.
So we're gonna really tough predicament right now,
in regards to public education. You would think the first lady being an educator herself,
she claimed she was gonna get her elbows dirty and whatever greased elbows don't
know what the saying is. She was supposed to get in there and start really helping.
Has she? >> Yeah.
>> Elbow grease, she's supposed to put her elbow grease in it, right? I haven't even
seen her. Where is she? What is she doing? >> I don't know. She was in the White House
correspondents and that's really the only time I've seen her,
but anyway, and look on the other side again, if you so this is already extreme enough,
if you think that I'm crazy that they won't go further.
Think about the pressure that Greg Abbott is gonna be feeling
with the right wing, who spent years now going to school board meetings,
trying to destroy the individual lives of educators. They think they're all groomers, you
don't think that they're gonna try to kill public education entirely. They want us uneducated.