Monthly Archives: June, 2021

(The Center Square) – A majority of voters support school choice, a new poll from Echelon Insights shows.

Among more than 1,100 registered voters surveyed, 65% support school choice compared to 19% who oppose it, while 16% remain unsure.

The findings were consistent across party lines, with 75% of Republicans, 60% of independents, and 61% of Democrats saying they strongly or somewhat support school choice. Most voters in both parties agree parents should control all or some of the tax dollars they pay for education.

“Public support for school choice is nothing new,” American Federation for Children President and CEO Tommy Schultz said. “This year already, at least a dozen states have enacted new school choice programs or expanded existing programs because they're recognizing just how popular this issue is amongst K-12 families. We are grateful that lawmakers are listening to the needs of families, but millions of children are still waiting for better options. We will continue fighting for those kids and to empower parents with the funds meant to deliver a high-quality education."

Among those polled across all racial lines, the overwhelming majority expressed support for school choice, ranging from a low of 64% among whites to a high of 69% among Blacks.

The American Federation for Children notes that 70% of families “want to send their child to a private, charter, virtual or home school,” but 82% of families are attending district-controlled [public] schools, and most don't have a choice.”

A majority of voters, 55%, said some or all of the taxpayer dollars the government set aside for K-12 education should be directed by parents. Roughly one-fifth, 21%, said none of the funds should be directed by parents and 24% said they were unsure.

According to a Walton Family Foundation poll of 2,700 K–12 parents, strong majorities favored the use of federal education dollars for student-centered needs, including high-quality tutoring, pre-K programs, and summer school.

A majority, 65%, said they want federal stimulus dollars to support creating more school options like charter schools and learning pods; 62% want direct grants of $500 per child to help parents pay for education needs.

While support for school choice remains strong, public schools in 33 states reported a loss of 500,000 students since the 2019-2020 school year, according to a December Associated Press-Chalkbeat analysis.

(The Center Square) – As illegal immigration continues to surge at the southern border, President Joe Biden is under fire for reports that his administration is considering changing a key immigration policy to allow more people to enter the country.

Former President Donald Trump enacted a policy called Title 42 in March of last year to allow federal border officials to expel migrants held in border facilities in an attempt to keep COVID-19 from spreading in facilities and from there into U.S. communities. Biden has not reversed the policy despite pressure from liberal groups, but media reports Monday indicated the Biden administration is considering lifting the Trump rule.

The news comes after several months of increased illegal immigration along the U.S. border with Mexico.

U.S. Customs and Border Patrol released data earlier this year reporting that CBP encountered 172,000 illegal immigrants attempting to cross the southern border in March, a major increase from 101,000 in February. Those figures have increased by several thousand per month since and significantly outpaced numbers from the same time last year.

Former Acting Department of Homeland Security secretary Chad Wolf raised the alarm about the proposed plan, pointing out the potential increase in COVID cases from migrants.

“The Biden administration's reported move to rescind Title 42 is both reckless and foolish. As the U.S. continues to climb out of this crisis, we need to ensure, now more than ever, that we do not intentionally introduce new COVID cases into the country,” Wolf said. “Removing Title 42 will also be yet another signal from this administration that the border is open and another reason for illegal migrants to enter the country illegally. It would be unfathomable that the administration would proactively take a step to make this crisis worse.”

To further complicate the issue, the Biden administration changed the rules for Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, narrowing the circumstances under which they can arrest illegal immigrants.

A report from the Migration Policy Institute released in April of this year found that a series of executive actions by the Biden administration had led to a 60% reduction in ICE arrests, despite the significant rise in illegal border crossings.

“Make no mistake, the Biden administration is purposefully making it harder for federal law enforcement and immigration officials to do their jobs and expel those who come here illegally,” said Mark Morgan, former acting commissioner for Customs and Border Protection. “Sadly, this politically motivated action will not just push already sky-high border crossing numbers to the breaking point. It will also needlessly endanger the health and well-being of American citizens throughout the country as they will be exposed to increased numbers of illegal aliens potentially carrying COVID. Few to none of the nearly 1 million illegal aliens apprehended have been vaccinated, and there is little effective health infrastructure along the route to help prevent spread of the virus.”

Stats like these have led to increasing angst among Republicans, particularly in border states. Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced earlier this month that he would build a border wall for his state. He also demanded the federal government return land that was taken for a wall but never used.

Last week, Abbott announced a $250 million down payment on the wall as part of his overall immigration strategy.

"The Biden Administration has abandoned its responsibilities to secure the border and Texans are suffering as a result," Abbott said. "The problems along the border are only getting worse due to President Biden's inaction. Property is being destroyed, deadly drugs and illegal weapons are being smuggled into communities throughout the state, law enforcement is having to redirect their resources, and county judges and mayors are facing skyrocketing expenses.

“In the Biden Administration's absence, Texas is stepping up to get the job done by building the border wall,” he added. “Through this comprehensive public safety effort, we will secure the border, slow the influx of unlawful immigrants, and restore order in our border communities."

Biden, though, has defended his handling of the border, pointing to a reduction in the amount of time children spend in border facilities, COVID testing for some migrants, and an expansion in open slots for refugees.

“Border numbers fluctuate, however, based on annual migration trends and that is why this administration is working to establish lawful pathways for individuals to migrate or seek protection, address the root causes of migration, restore fair, orderly and humane means to apply for asylum and deter irregular migration,” the White House said in a statement. “The administration has made significant progress at establishing a well-managed and secure border while also treating people fairly and humanely. The American people support this approach.”

The Republican establishment has capitalized on Biden’s struggles at the southern border, raking in record fundraising for three consecutive months.

“The Biden Administration is doing whatever it can to make the #BidenBorderCrisis worse and Americans are having to pay the price,” said National Republican Congressional Committee Spokeswoman Torunn Sinclair.

A key part of this line of attack has been lambasting Vice President Kamala Harris, who has not visited the southern border since being tapped by Biden to head up the immigration crisis.

“Border Patrol agents told me we need to keep Title 42 in place as they attempt to manage the illegal immigration surge,” said Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa. “Maybe if [Harris] had been to the border & heard from those on the ground, the Admin wouldn’t be reversing policies law enforcement use to keep us safe.”

(The Center Square) – Conservative groups in Wisconsin are lining up in support of a plan to allow more people to clear their past criminal records, but two conservative state senators are fighting it.

A coalition of groups that includes Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, Americans for Prosperity-Wisconsin, Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, the Badger Institute, and Grover Norquist's Americans for Tax Reform say the proposal (Senate Bill 78/Assembly Bill 69) is common sense and would help more people get back to work.

“[The legislation] removes the arbitrary 25-year-old age limit,” the coalition members said in an open letter Thursday. “The bill does not expand the crimes that would be eligible for an expungement, and it retains judicial discretion – an important aspect of the current law. While these changes are modest, the impact they could have on Wisconsinites looking for a second chance is not.”

The coalition members say the idea is to help people who “committed a one-time, low-level, non-violent offense” get that second chance.

But conservative Sen. Julian Bradley, R-Franklin, said the proposal is too broad, and would expunge too many crimes.

"Crime is on a dramatic rise in Wisconsin, and I am frustrated that hiding criminal records from the public and potential employers appears to be a top priority for some in the Legislature," Bradley said. "We ought to be looking at ways to hold criminals accountable to increase public safety in our communities."

Bradley and Sen. Andre Jacque, R-DePere, were the only two to vote against the proposal at a Senate committee hearing on Wednesday.

The plan now heads to the full Senate for a vote.