As Democrat states double down on resisting the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, Oklahoma Education Superintendent Ryan Walters is calling on states to stand behind the president and take a proactive role in implementing his executive orders.
Walters, a Republican, believes that all state elected officials and agencies, including state education systems, have a role to play in implementing President Donald Trump’s agenda.
“You’ve got Democrat governors, you’ve got Democrat elected officials saying we’re going to thwart this in any way we can,” he said. “Where are the states that are moving at lightning speed to enact these agenda items?”
Last week, he filed an inquiry to Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond to clarify how the Oklahoma public education system can implement Trump’s executive order ending taxpayer funding for programs that incentivize illegal immigration.
Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters speaks during a special state Board of Education meeting, April 12, 2023, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
The order, titled “Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Open Borders,” directs the heads of each federal executive department and agency to examine their agencies to “ensure, to the maximum extent permitted by law, that no taxpayer-funded benefits go to unqualified aliens.”
The purpose of this, according to the order, is to “prevent taxpayer resources from acting as a magnet and fueling illegal immigration to the United States.”
Drummond responded on Monday by praising Trump and his order while asserting that it does not affect state agencies and that Walters’ request is “nothing more than manufactured political drama.”
He also criticized Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt for what he called his “many failures in dealing with this critical issue here in Oklahoma.”
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (Chris Kleponis)
Stitt, in turn, responded to these criticisms by telling Fox News Digital, “Sadly, once again, we are just getting noise from people campaigning for their next political promotion.”
Stitt said that “being governor has been one of the greatest honors of my life” and he “will continue to do everything in my power to protect both Oklahomans and the innocent children in our communities.”
In response, Walters said he was “disappointed but not surprised by AG Drummond’s response.”
“He has a responsibility to offer opinions on all laws, not just the ones he deems worthy,” he said. “Once again, he is refusing to support President Trump’s executive order on illegal immigration at a time when we all need to move forward with a unified front to protect Oklahoma families.”
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Walters asserted that though the order only pertains to federal tax dollars, it is also up to state education officials to make sure the funding they receive from the federal government complies with the order.
“What we’ve seen here with this latest executive order is to not allow illegal immigrants to have access to federal funds. Well, in education, there’s a lot of different federal funding streams that come into states,” he explained.
DEM AND GOP GOVERNORS URGE TRUMP TO ‘LET THE STATES PLAY A ROLE’ IN IMMIGRATION DECISIONS
(Qian Weizhong/VCG via Getty Images | Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)
Walters said that under the Biden administration, the Oklahoma education system was flooded with illegal immigrant students, which he said caused “chaos” in the schools. He estimates Oklahoma spent a minimum of $474 million on illegal immigrant students, which he said took away resources and opportunities from students who are U.S. citizens.
Since Trump retook the White House, Walters has been a vocal advocate for policies he believes will aid the administration in putting an end to the migrant crisis.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE
In late January, he announced that Oklahoma public schools would begin tracking students’ immigration status and share that information with federal authorities. However, Stitt has opposed this policy, and it is currently under consideration by the state legislature.
Walters continued, “We are applying President Trump’s executive orders in every way possible, and that means, yes, you’ve got to know how many illegal immigrants are in your school system, how does this apply to formulas funding streams, how does this apply to grant funding streams, so that you’re able to ensure that those executive orders are being followed through on.”
TRUMP REPORTS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ENCOUNTERS AT HISTORIC LOWS DURING FIRST FULL MONTH IN OFFICE
Ultimately, Walters believes “education systems across the country” should be following suit and moving quickly to similarly implement Trump’s orders.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“Here’s the reality that’s facing states right now,” he said. “Are you going to align with President Trump’s illegal immigration agenda, which means you are going to ensure that illegal immigrants are being accounted for and that you are ensuring that every executive order from President Trump is being carried out for illegal immigration, or are you going to support President Biden’s illegal immigration view, which is don’t ask, don’t even acknowledge it?”
“There couldn’t be a [more] clear mandate from this last election,” he went on. “Every state has a decision to make, and they should all be aligning with President Trump.”