SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS – Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed into law a bill that would prohibit public schools from denying undocumented children a pre-K-12 public school education because of their actual or perceived immigration status Friday.
H.B. 3247 was sponsored by Illinois State Representative Lillian Jiménez and State Senator Karina Villa. MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund), the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, and the Latino Policy Forum led the coalition to push the bill through the Illinois state legislature. H.B. 3247 prohibits procedures that have the effect of excluding or discouraging students from school or school programs due to their immigration status, such as requesting a Social Security number. It also prohibits school officials from disclosing or threatening to disclose the student’s immigration status or perceived status or that of the student’s family. It requires schools to create procedures for immigration and other law enforcement actions at school facilities.
“Every child has a right to a public education, and every child must feel safe and secure at school to learn,” said Hector Villagra, MALDEF vice president of Policy Advocacy & Community Education. “This bill goes a long way toward ensuring that is true for every child in Illinois, prohibiting schools from adopting policies that prevent or discourage undocumented children from enrolling and requiring schools to protect the integrity of classroom environments by adopting procedures to restrict ICE and other law enforcement actions on campus.”
The bill codifies into law Plyler v. Doe, a landmark 1982 Supreme Court decision that undocumented children and children with undocumented parents have the same right as U.S. citizens and permanent residents to attend public schools. In Plyler, MALDEF represented immigrant families in Tyler, Texas, where the school district tried to discourage immigrant students from attending school by charging up to $1,000 in tuition.
“The national environment targeting immigrant communities has led to parents and students, immigrant and non-immigrant alike, feeling fearful and anxious about going to school — not only afraid for themselves or their family, but afraid for their classmates and friends,” said Martín Klein, MALDEF legislative staff attorney in Chicago. “This bill challenges the environment of fear targeting our school communities and provides reassurance to parents and students that Illinois schools are safe places for all students, regardless of immigration status.”
H.B. 3247 takes effect January 1, 2026. The implementation of H.B. 3247 in Illinois comes against the backdrop of the Trump administration’s attempts at mass deportation and demonization of immigrants. Since the election, several states have introduced laws that, if enacted, would seek to deprive immigrant children of a public school education.