‘Schools Not Shelters’: Legislation Would Prohibit Conversion to Housing for Illegal Aliens  

Sen. Ted Cruz has introduced a bill that would prevent educational institutions from being turned into shelters for illegal immigrants.  

The border crisis has placed unprecedented demands on state resources, and the educational experience of taxpayers’ children should not be compromised to accommodate the migrants, according to Cruz’s bill. 

The legislation serves as the Senate’s companion bill to the Schools Not Shelters Act, which passed the House with bipartisan support in July. If approved and signed by the president, the bill would bar publicly funded K-12 schools, colleges, and universities from being used to house illegal aliens. 

In a press release Thursday, Cruz said: 

The invasion at our southern border is straining local services, overwhelming hospitals, and overcrowding schools. … Instead of addressing the learning loss caused by Democrat COVID lockdowns, sanctuary cities are focused on diverting resources from students to house illegal aliens.

Students are losing access to gyms, dorms, and other school facilities in order to accommodate illegal aliens. Housing unvetted, potentially dangerous illegal aliens in schools is a recipe for disaster.

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Republican Sens. Ted Budd of North Carolina, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Josh Hawley of Missouri, and Mike Braun of Indiana co-sponsored Cruz’s Schools Not Shelters Act. 

Rep. Marc Molinaro, R-N.Y., who sponsored the legislation in the House, stated in the same press release that he was glad to see his bipartisan bill “gaining momentum.”  

“As the parent of four children, I agree and share the concerns of mothers and fathers who have spoken out against housing migrants in schools,” Molinaro said. “The bill affirms that schools are places for academics, athletics, community services, and places where children like mine receive vital therapy. They are not migrant shelters.” 

Given the Biden administration’s catch-and-release policies for criminal aliens, using schools as border crisis housing poses a significant safety risk to students, compromising campus security and access to resources, the lawmakers said. 

The bill has an exception for short-term natural disaster responses, such as for fires, floods, and hurricanes. 

Cruz’s move comes as congressional Republicans are seeking to use the power of the purse to demand action at the southern border and as a government shutdown looms. 

“I call on [Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.] to listen to New York parents and bring this bill to the floor for a vote,” Cruz said. 

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