Lawmaker says group doesn’t want to deport kids

Rep. Chuck Strohm

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – A leader of a newly created Oklahoma House Republican caucus says the group does not want to deport non-English-speaking school children.
Republican state Rep. Chuck Strohm, of Jenks, said Thursday that the Republican Platform Caucus discussed the additional financial burden that students who require additional language instruction can create. But he says he doesn’t recall the deportation of children being discussed.
Strohm says the group was caught by surprise after state Rep. Mike Ritze, a caucus member from Broken Arrow, told News9 Oklahoma that the state could save $60 million if it would identify what the caucus believes is 82,000 non-English speaking students “and then turn them over” to Immigration and Customs Enforcement to determine if they are citizens.
A 1982 U.S. Supreme Court decision holds states cannot deny students a free public education based on their immigration status.