Coalition Letter in Defense of the Supreme Court’s Landmark Education Ruling in Plyler v. Doe

A PDF of this letter can be found here

March 26, 2026

The Honorable Chip Roy, Chairman
Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government
Committee on the Judiciary
United States House of Representatives

The Honorable Mary Gay Scanlon, Ranking Member
Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government
Committee on the Judiciary
United States House of Representatives

Dear Chairman Roy and Ranking Member Scanlon:

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and the 41 additional undersigned organizations write to share our views regarding your recent hearing on the effects of the Supreme Court’s decision in Plyler v. Doe (1982). Our organizations strongly believe that Plyler was correctly decided as a matter of constitutional law, and that it has been profoundly beneficial to our country as a matter of public policy. We strongly oppose any effort to overturn or undermine this landmark ruling.

In Plyler v. Doe, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that under the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, children cannot be denied access to a free public education on the basis of their immigration status. While the Court was split 5-4 on the constitutionality of the Texas law at issue in Plyer, it is important to note that the Court was unanimous in recognizing that the Texas law was senseless as a matter of public policy.

It was irrational, as the majority reasoned, for a state to penalize children for the conduct of their parents, or to create a subclass of children who would never be as productive in the future as they could be with a proper education. Decades later, former President Obama incorporated this same reasoning into the 2012 creation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Together, Plyler and DACA have ensured that millions of children, all of whom had no say in their lack of legal immigration status, could grow up to contribute to our country and our economy.

Since Plyler was decided, the cost of educating undocumented children has been overwhelmingly offset by the benefits. A report by FWD.us found that the increased access to education under Plyler has generated $633 billion more in state and local tax revenues than it cost to educate undocumented children. Our nation’s gross domestic product (GDP) has been increased by nearly $3 trillion. Health care costs have been reduced, and nearly a quarter of a million U.S. citizen children have been kept from falling into poverty. In contrast, the Trump administration’s militarized crackdown on immigrants has hurt the GDP and weakened America’s labor market.

If Plyler were to be overturned or undermined, it could result in hundreds of thousands of children – none of whom can be blamed for their lack of immigration status – being shut out of education at the most important time for children to be in school. It would raise significant public safety concerns, exacerbate economic strains, cause workforce disruptions, and further increase the cost of health care.

Particularly in light of the long-term economic benefits of Plyler, the cost of educating undocumented students is ultimately not what is keeping localities, states, and the federal government from providing quality education. Rather, it is the overall, chronic failure to make adequate investments in public education. Congress should be focused on protecting educational equity and increasing those overall investments in schools, not trying to cut innocent children out of them.

Thank you for your consideration of our views.

Sincerely,

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
Advancement Project
AFT
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
America’s Voice
Arab American Institute (AAI)
Asian Americans Advancing Justice- AAJC
Center for Responsible Lending
Coalition on Human Needs
Common Cause
Dēmos
Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF)
EdTrust
Hispanic Federation
Impact Fund
Japanese American Citizens League
Jewish Council for Public Affairs
Juvenile Law Center
LatinoJustice PRLDEF
League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)
League of Women Voters of the United States
MI Familia Vota
NALEO Educational Fund
National Association of Social Workers
National Coalition for the Homeless
National Council of Asian Pacific Americans
National Council of Jewish Women
National Disability Rights Network (NDRN)
National Education Association
National Homelessness Law Center
National Women’s Law Center
People For the American Way
PolicyLink
Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC)
Southern Poverty Law Center
The Campaign for College Opportunity
The Sikh Coalition
UndocuBlack Network
UnidosUS
United Church of Christ
Voto Latino