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Texas Senate hears bill to ban undocumented students from in-state tuition rates, aid

Texas Senate hears bill to ban undocumented students from in-state tuition rates, aid

Yahoo24-04-2025

Texas lawmakers could soon decide whether to repeal a 24-year-old state law allowing students without legal authorization to be in the U.S. to access in-state tuition at public colleges and universities — potentially affecting 20,000 students.
In 2001, state lawmakers with bipartisan support passed House Bill 1403 — the Texas DREAM Act — which made access to higher education easier for thousands of students without legal status if they graduate from a Texas high school and have lived at least three years in the Lone Star State. These students are also required to sign an affidavit asserting their intent to pursue U.S. citizenship at their first opportunity.
Texas was the first state to pass such a law, and, like the current proposal to repeal it, legislative committees have in the past considered calls to do away with the provision. But as the Trump administration steps up efforts to deport people living in the U.S. illegally and international students who participate in pro-Palestinian advocacy or who have criminal violations, Florida has reversed its in-state tuition for students without legal status, and the Texas proposal's author, Sen. Mayes Middleton, R-Galveston, has said the state must follow suit.
'Senate Bill 1798 addresses the long-standing concern of subsidized higher education benefits and free tuition being granted to individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States,' Middleton said at a Senate K-16 Education Committee hearing on the bill Tuesday. 'This ensures that public funds are reserved for students with legal standing in the United States and reinforces the importance of lawful status in accessing state benefits.'
Currently, 24 states, including Texas, grant students without legal status access to in-state tuition and 19 states, including Texas, also allow such students to access state financial aid. Students who are in the U.S. illegally do not have access to federal financial aid.
SB 1798 would bar students without legal status from accessing in-state tuition and from receiving state financial aid. Middleton said it's a 'necessary measure' to ensure the state is fiscally responsible.
He estimates that Texas lost $150 million per year from the roughly 20,000 students without legal status that pay in-state tuition as opposed to out-of-state tuition. According to Every Texan, a social justice advocacy nonprofit, students without legal status accounted for less than 3% ($17.3 million) of the state's total $579 million dispersed in financial aid and grants in 2021.
A study by the American Immigration Council, however, found that Texas could lose $461 million each year if residency standards are changed. This is because having a bachelor's degree increases such students' earning potential by 57%, helping the state through taxes, buying power and filling workforce needs, it states.
Sen. José Menéndez, D-San Antonio, who questioned the bill's purpose and warned of its potential effect, said SB 1798 would make it impossible for many people without legal status to attend and afford college despite such students in his district having often 'only known this country as their own' and having attended local schools and worked in and helped their communities.
'By all measures, they've established residency in this state,' Menéndez said. 'I don't agree with the premise that we lost $150 million because they should have been paying outside tuition because of the fact that they were living here.'
Several people who benefited from the state's DREAM Act testified Tuesday about how the bill transformed their lives, allowing them to pursue paths to education, successful careers and U.S. citizenship.
In-state tuition for public colleges and universities and in-district tuition for community colleges is designed to charge students from tax-paying families lower education costs, said Sarah Keyton, deputy commissioner for administration and operations at the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, who testified as an expert witness.
The Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center states that persons in the U.S. regardless of immigration status pay taxes, with those without a Social Security number using an individual taxpayer identification number to do so, but they receive less in government benefits.
Testimony in the Senate hearing on SB 1798 lasted nearly three hours, with representatives for the Intercultural Development Research Association, Texas Civil Rights Project, ACLU of Texas, and the Council of Islamic-American Relations Texas testifying against the proposal and representatives from Texans for Strong Borders, True Texas Projects and Texans for Fiscal Responsibility for it.
Supporters of Middleton's bill emphasized how Texas must use discretion with its public money and argued that the existing law encourages or rewards unlawful residence. Those against the proposal said it would hurt the state economically and unjustly punish students who dream of opportunities as they find a path to citizenship.
One student, who expects to graduate in May from a UT System institution, testified against the bill in his cap and gown, saying he would not have been able to graduate without it.
In response to Menéndez's concern that this bill will stop students without legal status from attending higher education institutions and cost Texas money, Middleton retorted that 'our citizen constituents are going to fill those spots' and tuition won't go unpaid.
'If we had a secure border this whole time, this wouldn't be an issue,' Middleton said.
SB 1798 was left pending in committee Tuesday.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Senate hears bill to end Texas DREAM Act, restrict in-state tuition

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Trump authorizes additional 2,000 National Guard members to Los Angeles, US officials say
Trump authorizes additional 2,000 National Guard members to Los Angeles, US officials say

Hamilton Spectator

timean hour ago

  • Hamilton Spectator

Trump authorizes additional 2,000 National Guard members to Los Angeles, US officials say

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Another 2,000 National Guard troops along with 700 Marines are headed to Los Angeles on orders Monday from President Donald Trump, escalating a military presence local officials and Gov. Gavin Newsom don't want and the police chief says creates logistical challenges for safely handling protests. An initial 2,000 Guard troops ordered by Trump started arriving Sunday , which saw the most violence during three days of protests driven by anger over Trump's stepped-up enforcement of immigration laws that critics say are breaking apart migrant families. Monday's demonstrations were far less raucous, with thousands peacefully attending a rally at City Hall and hundreds protesting outside a federal complex that includes a detention center where some immigrants are being held following workplace raids across the city. Trump has described Los Angeles in dire terms that Mayor Karen Bass and Newsom say are nowhere close to the truth. They say he is putting public safety at risk by adding military personnel even though police say they don't need the help. Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said in a statement he was confident in the police department's ability to handle large-scale demonstrations and that the Marines' arrival without coordinating with the police department would present a 'significant logistical and operational challenge' for them. Newsom called the deployments reckless and 'disrespectful to our troops' in a post on the social platform X. 'This isn't about public safety,' Newsom said. 'It's about stroking a dangerous President's ego.' The protests began Friday in downtown Los Angeles after federal immigration authorities arrested more than 40 people across the city. The smell of smoke hung in the air downtown Monday, one day after crowds blocked a major freeway and set self-driving cars on fire as police responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and flash-bang grenades. Additional protests against immigration raids continued into the evening on Monday in several other cities including San Francisco and Santa Ana in California and Dallas and Austin in Texas. In Austin, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said in a post on X that more than a dozen protesters were arrested, while in Santa Ana, a spokesperson for the city's police department said the National Guard had arrived in the city to secure federal buildings. California pushes back against presence of federal troops California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit over the use of National Guard troops following the first deployment, telling reporters in his announcement Monday that Trump had 'trampled' the state's sovereignty. 'We don't take lightly to the president abusing his authority and unlawfully mobilizing California National Guard troops,' Bonta said. He sought a court order declaring Trump's use of the Guard unlawful and asking for a restraining order to halt the deployment. Trump said Monday that the city would have been 'completely obliterated' if he had not deployed the Guard. U.S. officials said the Marine troops were deployed to protect federal property and personnel, including federal immigration agents. Trump's Monday order put more National Guard members on active duty, but one U.S. official warned that the order was just signed and it could take a day or two to get troops moving. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss troop movements. Despite their presence, there has been limited engagement so far between the Guard and protesters while local law enforcement implements crowd control. Bass criticized the deployment of National Guard troops and Marines as a 'deliberate attempt' by the Trump administration to 'create disorder and chaos in our city.' She made a plea to the federal government: 'Stop the raids.' Early protests remained peaceful On Monday, thousands flooded the streets around City Hall for a union rally ahead of a hearing for arrested labor leader David Huerta , who was freed a few hours later on a $50,000 bond. Huerta's arrest on Friday while protesting immigration raids has become a rallying cry for people angry over the administration's crackdown. He is the president of the Service Employees International Union California, which represents thousands of the state's janitors, security officers and other workers. Early protests had a calm and even joyful atmosphere at times, with people dancing to live music and buoyed by Huerta's release. Protesters linked hands in front of a line of police officers outside the downtown federal detention center where Huerta was being held. Religious leaders joined the protesters, working with organizers at times to de-escalate moments of tension. There was a heavy law enforcement presence in the few square blocks including the federal detention facility, while most in the immense city of some 4 million people went about their normal business on peaceful streets. Chanting against a line of National Guard troops with Homeland Security officers behind them surrounding the federal buildings ramped up in the afternoon as people yelled, 'Free them all!' and 'National Guard go away.' As the crowd thinned, police began pushing protesters away from the area, firing crowd-control munitions as people chanted, 'Peaceful protest.' Officers became more aggressive in their tactics in the evening, occasionally surging forward to arrest protesters that got too close. At least a dozen people remaining in the busy Little Tokyo neighborhood were surrounded by police and detained. Other protests took shape Monday across LA County. Outside a Los Angeles clothing warehouse, relatives of detained workers demanded at a news conference in the morning that their loved ones be released. The family of Jacob Vasquez, 35, who was detained Friday at the warehouse, where he worked, said they had yet to receive any information about him. 'Jacob is a family man and the sole breadwinner of his household,' Vasquez's brother, Gabriel, told the crowd. He asked that his last name not be used, fearing being targeted by authorities. Several dozen people were arrested in protests throughout the weekend. Authorities say one was detained Sunday for throwing a Molotov cocktail at police and another for ramming a motorcycle into a line of officers. Guard deployment is a nearly unprecedented escalation The deployment appeared to be the first time in decades that a state's National Guard was activated without a request from its governor, a significant escalation against those who have sought to hinder the administration's mass deportation efforts. The last time the National Guard was activated without a governor's permission was in 1965, when President Lyndon B. Johnson sent troops to protect a civil rights march in Alabama, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. In a directive Saturday, Trump invoked a legal provision allowing him to deploy federal service members when there is 'a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States.' ___ Sullivan reported from Minneapolis. Associated Press writers Dorany Pineda in Los Angeles, Amy Taxin in Orange County, California, Lolita C. Baldor in Washington, Hallie Golden in Seattle and Jake Offenhartz in New York contributed to this report. 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Trump authorizes additional 2,000 National Guard members to Los Angeles, US officials say
Trump authorizes additional 2,000 National Guard members to Los Angeles, US officials say

San Francisco Chronicle​

timean hour ago

  • San Francisco Chronicle​

Trump authorizes additional 2,000 National Guard members to Los Angeles, US officials say

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Another 2,000 National Guard troops along with 700 Marines are headed to Los Angeles on orders Monday from President Donald Trump, escalating a military presence local officials and Gov. Gavin Newsom don't want and the police chief says creates logistical challenges for safely handling protests. An initial 2,000 Guard troops ordered by Trump started arriving Sunday, which saw the most violence during three days of protests driven by anger over Trump's stepped-up enforcement of immigration laws that critics say are breaking apart migrant families. Monday's demonstrations were far less raucous, with thousands peacefully attending a rally at City Hall and hundreds protesting outside a federal complex that includes a detention center where some immigrants are being held following workplace raids across the city. Trump has described Los Angeles in dire terms that Mayor Karen Bass and Newsom say are nowhere close to the truth. They say he is putting public safety at risk by adding military personnel even though police say they don't need the help. Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said in a statement he was confident in the police department's ability to handle large-scale demonstrations and that the Marines' arrival without coordinating with the police department would present a 'significant logistical and operational challenge' for them. Newsom called the deployments reckless and 'disrespectful to our troops' in a post on the social platform X. 'This isn't about public safety,' Newsom said. 'It's about stroking a dangerous President's ego.' The protests began Friday in downtown Los Angeles after federal immigration authorities arrested more than 40 people across the city. The smell of smoke hung in the air downtown Monday, one day after crowds blocked a major freeway and set self-driving cars on fire as police responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and flash-bang grenades. Additional protests against immigration raids continued into the evening on Monday in several other cities including San Francisco and Santa Ana in California and Dallas and Austin in Texas. In Austin, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said in a post on X that more than a dozen protesters were arrested, while in Santa Ana, a spokesperson for the city's police department said the National Guard had arrived in the city to secure federal buildings. California pushes back against presence of federal troops California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit over the use of National Guard troops following the first deployment, telling reporters in his announcement Monday that Trump had 'trampled' the state's sovereignty. 'We don't take lightly to the president abusing his authority and unlawfully mobilizing California National Guard troops,' Bonta said. He sought a court order declaring Trump's use of the Guard unlawful and asking for a restraining order to halt the deployment. Trump said Monday that the city would have been 'completely obliterated' if he had not deployed the Guard. U.S. officials said the Marine troops were deployed to protect federal property and personnel, including federal immigration agents. Trump's Monday order put more National Guard members on active duty, but one U.S. official warned that the order was just signed and it could take a day or two to get troops moving. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss troop movements. Despite their presence, there has been limited engagement so far between the Guard and protesters while local law enforcement implements crowd control. Bass criticized the deployment of National Guard troops and Marines as a 'deliberate attempt' by the Trump administration to 'create disorder and chaos in our city.' She made a plea to the federal government: 'Stop the raids.' Early protests remained peaceful On Monday, thousands flooded the streets around City Hall for a union rally ahead of a hearing for arrested labor leader David Huerta, who was freed a few hours later on a $50,000 bond. Huerta's arrest on Friday while protesting immigration raids has become a rallying cry for people angry over the administration's crackdown. He is the president of the Service Employees International Union California, which represents thousands of the state's janitors, security officers and other workers. Early protests had a calm and even joyful atmosphere at times, with people dancing to live music and buoyed by Huerta's release. Protesters linked hands in front of a line of police officers outside the downtown federal detention center where Huerta was being held. Religious leaders joined the protesters, working with organizers at times to de-escalate moments of tension. There was a heavy law enforcement presence in the few square blocks including the federal detention facility, while most in the immense city of some 4 million people went about their normal business on peaceful streets. Chanting against a line of National Guard troops with Homeland Security officers behind them surrounding the federal buildings ramped up in the afternoon as people yelled, 'Free them all!' and 'National Guard go away.' As the crowd thinned, police began pushing protesters away from the area, firing crowd-control munitions as people chanted, "Peaceful protest.' Officers became more aggressive in their tactics in the evening, occasionally surging forward to arrest protesters that got too close. At least a dozen people remaining in the busy Little Tokyo neighborhood were surrounded by police and detained. Other protests took shape Monday across LA County. Outside a Los Angeles clothing warehouse, relatives of detained workers demanded at a news conference in the morning that their loved ones be released. The family of Jacob Vasquez, 35, who was detained Friday at the warehouse, where he worked, said they had yet to receive any information about him. 'Jacob is a family man and the sole breadwinner of his household,' Vasquez's brother, Gabriel, told the crowd. He asked that his last name not be used, fearing being targeted by authorities. Several dozen people were arrested in protests throughout the weekend. Authorities say one was detained Sunday for throwing a Molotov cocktail at police and another for ramming a motorcycle into a line of officers. Guard deployment is a nearly unprecedented escalation The deployment appeared to be the first time in decades that a state's National Guard was activated without a request from its governor, a significant escalation against those who have sought to hinder the administration's mass deportation efforts. The last time the National Guard was activated without a governor's permission was in 1965, when President Lyndon B. Johnson sent troops to protect a civil rights march in Alabama, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. In a directive Saturday, Trump invoked a legal provision allowing him to deploy federal service members when there is 'a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States.' ___ Sullivan reported from Minneapolis. Associated Press writers Dorany Pineda in Los Angeles, Amy Taxin in Orange County, California, Lolita C. Baldor in Washington, Hallie Golden in Seattle and Jake Offenhartz in New York contributed to this report.

Doechii Calls Out Trump Administration for ‘Creating Fear and Chaos' at L.A. Protests in BET Awards Speech
Doechii Calls Out Trump Administration for ‘Creating Fear and Chaos' at L.A. Protests in BET Awards Speech

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

Doechii Calls Out Trump Administration for ‘Creating Fear and Chaos' at L.A. Protests in BET Awards Speech

Doechii made the most of her first BET Award win on Monday night, telling an audience of honorees and attendees at the Peacock Theater that she felt a 'responsibility as an artist' to address the immigration protests and raids in Los Angeles. 'I do want to address what's happening right now, outside the building,' said Doechii, referring to the protests happening in Downtown Los Angeles, home of the Peacock Theater. 'These are ruthless attacks that are creating fear and chaos in our communities. In the name of law and order, Trump is using military forces to stop a protest, and I want you all to consider what kind of government it appears to be — when every time we exercise our democratic right to protest, the military is deployed against us.' More from Variety BET Awards Winners 2025 (Updating Live) Kendrick Lamar, Doechii and Drake Lead 2025 BET Award Nominations Kevin Hart to Host 2025 BET Awards California National Guard troops arrived in the city on Sunday in a show of force following division between immigration agents and protesters and amid a burgeoning fight between California and the Trump administration. Protests started on Friday after Immigration Customs Enforcement officers carried out raids in three locations across Los Angeles, where dozens of people were taken into custody, per NBC News. Doechii said she would use her voice to stand up for 'all oppressed people, for Black people, for Latino people, for trans people, for the people in Gaza.' She continued, 'What type of government is that? People are being swept up and torn from their families? We all deserve to live in hope and not in fear. And I hope we stand together my brothers and my sisters against hate and we protest against it.' Doechii won the award for best female hip-hop artist, a category that also recognized Cardi B, Doja Cat, Glorilla, Latto, Megan Thee Stallion, Nicki Minaj, Rapsody and Sexyy Red as nominees. Best of Variety 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts? 25 Hollywood Legends Who Deserve an Honorary Oscar New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week

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