As the immigration and birthright citizenship debate returns to the national spotlight, a video has emerged appearing to show South Texas public school buses dropping off children near the international border, where they then walk into Mexico after school.
The video, recorded in April, shows a group of students—some as young as five years old—walking toward the Mexican border in McAllen after being dropped off near the border by public school buses. The children appear to cross without parental supervision.
@lottiethechow Kids as young as 5!!! Crossing unsupervised!!! How do these school buses get authorized to do this! Kids from IDEA and Hidalgo ISD. No parental supervision.Even the customs agents stated he had to watch them. Why? I saw kids waiting on the Mexican side alone for over an hour. NO ADULTS #956 #956valley #hidalgo #rgv #Texas ♬ original sound – LottieTheChowChow
According to the person recording the video, the children attend IDEA Public Schools and Hidalgo Independent School District. The individual was also told by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent said he had to watch the children.
The video has sparked outrage on social media, with former U.S. Rep. Mayra Flores sharing a separate video posted by Rio Bravo Mayor Miguel Almaraz. In the video, Almaraz said children living in Rio Bravo, Tamaulipas, Mexico, who have visas are welcome to attend Donna ISD schools in the Rio Grande Valley.
The video also states that the district offers students transportation to the Donna-Rio Bravo International Bridge in the morning and afternoon to travel to and from school. It also says families in Mexico will have their port-of-entry fees, school supplies, uniforms, and meals covered.
Louis Montoya, who has spoken out about border issues in South Texas, explained how families may use relatives’ addresses to enroll their children in Texas public schools.
“Many of these kids (or their families) simply use the physical address of relatives, aunts, uncles, or friends who already live inside the district. There are also well documented cases of South Texas districts actively recruiting visa-holding students straight from Mexico, sometimes even subsidizing crossings and helping facilitate enrollment to pad their Average Daily Attendance numbers for more state taxpayer funding,” Montoya wrote on X. “On paper there’s a residency requirement. In practice, the border is treated like it barely exists when it comes to public services. That’s the erosion happening right in front of us.”
Donna ISD’s website states that the district is an open-enrollment district and that students may attend its schools regardless of their place of residence. It also states that they base its enrollment on applications for out-of-district transfer subject to approval based on FDA and established rules and guidelines, parents or guardians must provide a copy of their child’s attendance and disciplinary records, and on some occasions parents or guardians will meet with the principal of the designated school.
The district has faced declining enrollment in recent years. Donnas ISD’s website says the district serves more than 13,000 students, while previous reports have cited enrollment declines from roughly 15,500 students in 2015 to about 12,500 during the 2025-26 school year.
Texas public funding is tied in part to average daily attendance, and Donna ISD reported a roughly $3 million budget shortfall for the 2024-25 school year amid declining enrollment.
Other South Texas school districts, Including Eagle Pass ISD and Laredo ISD, also have policies allowing certain nonresident students to attend their schools.
