Plyler v. Doe (1982)

In June 1982 the U.S. Supreme Court decided the watershed case of Plyler v. Doe. This case established that unauthorized migrants are entitled to equal protection of the laws and that unauthorized migrant schoolchildren cannot be denied a free K–12 public school education. This case holds that unauthorized migrants, despite their irregular immigration status, are members of American society entitled to certain rights and protections. While the promise of Plyler v. Doe has yet to be fully extended into other areas, such as unauthorized migrants' access to postsecondary education, the case is responsible for ensuring that all children in the United States have access to elementary and secondary public education.