(NewsNation) — Oklahoma schools leader Ryan Walters said his department will help President Donald Trump enforce his immigration policies “in any way that we can.”
“We’ve said our schools will not be sanctuary schools in Oklahoma,” Walters, the Republican state superintendent, told NewsNation’s Connell McShane on Wednesday.
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Walters supported a recent proposal by the state’s Board of Education that would require parents to show proof of their child’s U.S. citizenship or legal immigration status when enrolling them in public schools.
The proposed rule would not prevent students without legal status from attending school, but it would require districts to record the number of students for whom proof of citizenship was not provided and to report those numbers to the Oklahoma State Department of Education.
“We will work with President Trump,” Walters said. “If he needs the information, we’ll get it for him.”
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The rule, which the board unanimously approved Tuesday, has drawn criticism from many teachers and civil liberties groups.
Parents and students protested outside the state’s education building Tuesday night, and some parents said they’re considering pulling their kids out of school or moving.
When asked whether the policy could dissuade students from attending school out of fear of providing their immigration status, Walters said it’s about keeping families intact.
“If the president and ICE don’t know where the families are, where the students are, you’re going to have families that are deported without their kids,” Walters said.
He added: “This is what the American people have asked for. President Trump is fulfilling a promise.”
The rule still needs to be approved by the state Legislature and the governor before it becomes official.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
