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Oklahoma schools chief bills Kamala Harris $474M for education costs, citing illegal immigration

Oklahoma's top elected education official sent a "demand letter" to Vice President Kamala Harris that essentially served as an invoice for what the illegal immigration crisis under her tenure overseeing the border has cost Sooner State schools.

"This demand amount is, by necessity, an estimate because only your administration knows the true number of illegal immigrants crossing this nation’s borders and the actual costs of illegal immigration," he said, calling for Harris to conduct a potentially more accurate accounting of the costs incurred by Oklahoma schools.

In a Tuesday interview, Walters said the border crisis is "crippling" Oklahoma schools, and that paying for these minors' education is the "largest unfunded mandate in the country."

He said Oklahoma has been the first state to both calculate the education costs of the border crisis and to actually bill the Biden-Harris administration for the fiscal disparity.

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a rally in Houston, Friday, Oct. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

"Since she's been the border czar, she's failed our country," Walters said. "Open borders has had an impact on every aspect of society, but it has overrun our schools, decimated our families. And it is absolutely time to hold them accountable for that."

Walters said he invites other states to follow suit and calculate the real costs of illegal immigration, to show the true effects of the crisis on the country.

Harris' office did not respond to a request for comment.

When asked if he expects a response or a remittance, Walters said the administration has long been "unresponsive to the needs of all Americans."

A Customs and Border Protection patch is displayed on the arm of an officer on Sept. 28, 2024, in San Diego, California. (Kevin Carter/Getty Images)

"I know that they've magically pretended like they've cared about it here in the last 60 days of their campaign. But the reality is, as you've seen story after story, data point after data point, and they've ignored them," he said.