Chicago City Wire

Don Rosenberg, president of Advocates for Victims of Illegal Alien Crime (AVIAC), objected to a lawsuit filed by Illinois and 20 other states aimed at blocking Trump administration rules that limit federal education and health care funding based on immigration status.

“It’s one thing to be compassionate and another to be stupid,” Rosenberg told Chicago City Wire.

“The law that illegal aliens are not allowed in the country is hard and fast,” he said. “It’s one thing to treat someone here illegally for a short-term illness. It’s another to act long-term on schooling and other health-care issues.”

Don and Drew Rosenberg | AVIAC

The lawsuit, joined by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and attorneys general from Democratic-led states, challenges new federal rules that would withhold more than $6.8 billion in education funding. That figure represents roughly 14 percent of all federal aid for elementary and secondary education across the country.

The complaint argues the administration misapplied program guidelines by redesignating funding categories and placing new conditions on aid already approved by Congress. 

The attorneys general claim the move violates the Constitution and could affect access to services for families, including U.S. citizens and legal residents who lack certain documentation.

“The administration’s latest attempt to withhold federal funds and enforce unlawful rules that require immediate compliance,” Raoul said in a July 21 statement. “This litigation calls on the court to halt these rules and act quickly so everyone, regardless of immigration status, can have access to these programs.”

Rosenberg pointed to the 1982 U.S. Supreme Court decision Plyler v. Doe, which held that states may not deny public education to children based on immigration status. He said the ruling includes exceptions if a state can demonstrate a compelling interest.

“When the case was decided in the early 1980s, there were very few illegal alien children in the U.S.,” Rosenberg said. “That’s not true today, as there are millions, and the citizen kids (who shouldn’t be) are costing states billions of dollars to educate. California spends over $30 billion to educate these children K–12. Meanwhile, the schools are a mess, the educational results are terrible and many of the schools are in atrocious conditions.”

He added: “If we believe that those who have broken the law by entering the country illegally should receive these services and benefits, shouldn’t we then supply those all over the world who respect our laws? Of course, that’s an impossibility, but why reward criminals?”

Rosenberg’s son, Drew, was killed in 2011 by an illegal immigrant from Honduras who was driving without a license.

In addition to Illinois, states involved in the lawsuit include Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin, along with the District of Columbia.