Florida GOP Congressman Brian Mast told Newsmax that he supports legislation that would bar public education institutions from being used to harbor illegal immigrants.
Joining “Carl Higbie FRONTLINE” on Tuesday, Mast came out in stark opposition to proposals from local and state authorities to house migrants in public elementary schools, secondary schools, and universities.
“One of the ways that they’re trying to not fix the problem of illegal immigration but make more room to continue to allow them to do what they’re doing is they’re saying, ‘Well, we’ll just house these people in your local school,'” Mast said.
“They got an issue where they’re trying to put 10 gallons of water into a 5-gallon bucket, and they’re not willing to shut off the tap,” he continued. “They’re just willing to go out there and say, ‘Well, we’re going to keep doing it even though it’s creating a problem.’ They don’t care.”
The proposal, which prohibits federal funding from those institutions, comes one week after the House voted to condemn New York City Democratic Mayor Eric Adams for floating a plan to convert up to 20 school gyms into temporary migrant housing.
Republican Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Iowa, who proposed the resolution, said in a floor speech that it still lacks the power to directly compel the Biden administration or local and state governments.
“Using school facilities as shelter for illegal aliens instead of as schools, as they were intended, creates a host of issues ranging from safety hazards for young children to a freefall of security issues as a result of not providing the adequate accommodations or security screening,” Miller-Meeks stated.
According to the resolution, around 300 illegal immigrants have already been sheltered in current or former public school gymnasiums in New York City.