Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) is introducing legislation that would withhold federal funding from any college or university that hires illegal aliens, Breitbart News has exclusively learned.
“If colleges and universities want access to federal funding, they need to abide by federal immigration law,” Blackburn told Breitbart News.
Specifically, Blackburn’s “Enforcing Rule of Law on Campus Act” invokes the Immigration and Nationality Act, which makes clear that it is illegal for an employer to hire an illegal alien while knowing their illegal status.
“Hardworking American citizens do not deserve to be cast aside in order to prioritize illegal immigrants,” Blackburn said. “Amid President Biden’s open border agenda and willful disregard for the rule of law, it is crucial that our educational institutions play by the rules.”
Sens. Tom Cotton (R-AR), Mike Braun (R-IN), and Josh Hawley (R-MO) are co-sponsoring Blackburn’s legislation.
The legislation comes as the University of California floated the idea of hiring illegal aliens to work on its campus — a move that several left-wing student groups and law professors supported. The plan, though, was halted in January.
The plan was considered so controversial that President Joe Biden’s administration reportedly warned against it behind closed doors, fearing a legal challenge during a tough election year for the president.
Colleges and universities rely heavily on federal funds from American taxpayers, receiving nearly $175 billion in 2021, alone.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here.
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