Hispanic Texas land commissioner candidate vows to defund schools teaching CRT

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FIRST ON FOX: Victor Avila, a first-generation Mexican American immigrant, former ICE agent and candidate for Texas land commissioner, announced that, if elected, he will withhold funding from any educational institution in Texas that teaches critical race theory (CRT).

"Critical Race Theory is corrosive," Avila said in a statement first provided to Fox News. "As a first-generation Mexican-American immigrant, I value the importance of educating our children on our nation's history and the history of other countries. Yet, CRT fails to promote inclusivity and unity. Instead, this theory encourages division among our children."

"Allocating any funding into this program enables the radical left to promote their political agenda in our schools," Avila added. "As Texas Land Commissioner, I will continue to fight for every family and protect our children by stopping all funding towards CRT."

The position of Texas land commissioner involves, among many other things, the oversight of billions of dollars in school funding.

ANTI-CRT BILLS AIM TO OUTLAW DISCRIMINATION, NOT FREE SPEECH, ADVOCATES SAY

Victor Avila, Texas land commissioner candidate (Victor Avila)

Avila, a retired special agent with Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations unit, lamented that when he joined a school board diversity council, members assumed he was liberal due to his ethnicity.

"Despite being very conservative, when I joined the Carroll ISD [Independent School District] Diversity Council, they assumed I was a liberal because I’m Hispanic," Avila told Fox News. "What I saw shocked me. The left’s hateful ideologies were being taught to our children. I raised my voice, sounded the alarm, and joined fellow parents in fighting back."

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"Now I’m running for Texas Land Commissioner- an office that chairs the School Land Board which oversees over $10 billion in education funding," Avila added. "As Texas Land Commissioner, the School Land Board will no longer rubber-stamp funding. If a school is teaching Critical Race Theory or any of its corrosive ideas, funding will not move past the Board and will be withheld until we can trust taxpayer dollars will be used appropriately."

VIRGINIA SCHOOL DISTRICTS DENY TEACHING CRITICAL RACE THEORY EVEN IN THE FACE OF EVIDENCE

Parents and grassroots activists have raised the alarm about critical race theory – a framework that involves deconstructing aspects of society to discover systemic racism beneath the surface – in public schools. 

School officials often deny that CRT has an impact in K-12 education, claiming that the term refers to a law school class, even though ideas rooted in CRT have emerged in various K-12 educational settings. CRT proponents claim that any opposition to CRT amounts to silencing teachers and preventing the teaching of history.

Victor Avila, Texas land commissioner candidate (Victor Avila)

As an ICE special agent, Avila occasionally served as an accredited diplomat and liaison to Spain, Portugal and Mexico, conducting criminal investigations into narcotics trafficking, arms trafficking, human trafficking/smuggling, financial violations, commercial fraud and counterterrorism, according to his website.

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Avila suffered multiple gunshot wounds and survived a violent ambush from the Mexican Los Zetas drug cartel while on special assignment south of the border. His partner, Special Agent Jamie Zapata, died, and Avila has dedicated himself to the memory of his fallen partner.

No fewer than 12 candidates have entered the race for Texas land commissioner to replace outgoing Commissioner George P. Bush, who is challenging Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the March 1 primary.