Advocates speak out against Texas Dream Act repeal
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Advocacy groups are raising concerns after a federal lawsuit repealed the Texas Dream Act. Signed by Gov. Rick Perry in 2001, it allows certain undocumented students to qualify for in-state tuition.
On June 4, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Texas. It alleged that the Texas Dream Act violates federal law by providing benefits to undocumented students that are not also extended to U.S. citizens.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's office released a statement hours after the suit was filed, saying they would not contest the suit, leading to a default judgment.
'Ending this discriminatory and un-American provision is a major victory for Texas,' Paxton's statement read, in part.
READ MORE: Law professors react to in-state tuition decision
'This is more than a legal challenge,' said Linda Corchado, senior director of immigration at Children at Risk. 'This is an attempt to dismantle one of Texas' most effective and visionary education policies.'
Children at Risk is a research and advocacy nonprofit focused on improving the quality of life for Texas' children.
Viridiana Carrisales is the co-founder and CEO of ImmSchools, a nonprofit that partners with school districts to help them better meet the needs of immigrant students. She claims this could discourage students from pursuing higher education or even staying in school.
'So this is going to have an implication where students are going to potentially drop out of school, of K through 12 school,' Carrizales said. 'It doesn't matter where we live in the state. It hurts all of us the moment students drop out of school.'
The concerns go beyond student retention. Corchado pointed out the economic benefits students bring to Texas and what the state stands to lose without them.
'In [2021] alone, Dream Act students contributed over $81 million in tuition and fees,' Corchado said. 'Repealing the law could cost Texas $461 million each year in lost economic activity.'
During the legislative session, lawmakers introduced bills to repeal the Texas Dream Act. However, despite hours of testimony, the bills were left pending and did not pass. Chelsie Kramer, a Texas state organizer with the American Immigration Council, framed the original 2001 legislation as an example for the rest of the nation.
'For more than two decades, the Texas Dream Act has really stood as a model of pragmatic, bipartisan policymaking,' Kramer said. 'Since 2001, similar laws have been passed in 24 other states, really showing that what Texas did back in 2001 was something the nation wanted to follow.'
After the repeal, Texas Democrats composed a letter both criticizing the decision and offering a solution. They call for a new classification to allow students who qualified under the law to enroll in the fall semester 'at the rate they reasonably expected.'
READ MORE: Lawmakers call for in-state tuition protection
'These students aren't asking for handouts,' Corchado said. 'They're investing in their future.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
34 minutes ago
Minnesota budget deal cuts health care for adults who entered the US illegally
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Adults living in the U.S. illegally will be excluded from a state-run health care program under an overall budget deal that the closely divided Minnesota Legislature convened to pass in a special session Monday. Repealing a 2023 state law that made those immigrants eligible for the MinnesotaCare program for the working poor was a priority for Republicans in the negotiations that produced the budget agreement. The Legislature is split 101-100, with the House tied and Democrats holding just a one-seat majority in the Senate, and the health care compromise was a bitter pill for Democrats to accept. The change is expected to affect about 17,000 residents. After an emotional near four-hour debate, the House aroved the bill 68-65. Under the agreement, the top House Democratic leader, Melissa Hortman, of Brooklyn Park, was the only member of her caucus to vote yes. The bill then went to the Senate, where it passed 37-30. Democratic Majority Leader Erin Murphy, of St. Paul, called it 'a wound on the soul of Minnesota,' but kept her promise to vote yes as part of the deal, calling it "among the most painful votes I've ever taken." Democratic Gov. Tim Walz, who insisted on maintaining eligibility for children who aren't in the country legally, has promised to sign the legislation, and all 13 other bills scheduled for action in the special session, to complete a $66 billion, two-year budget that will take effect July 1. 'This is 100% about the GOP campaign against immigrants,' said House Democratic Floor Leader Jamie Long, of Minneapolis, who voted no. 'From Trump's renewed travel ban announced this week, to his effort to expel those with protected status, to harassing students here to study, to disproportionate military and law enforcement responses that we've seen from Minneapolis to L.A., this all comes back to attacking immigrants and the name of dividing us.' But GOP Rep. Jeff Backer, of Browns Valley, the lead author of the bill, said taxpayers shouldn't have to subsidize health care for people who aren't in the country legally. Backer said California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, has proposed freezing enrollment for immigrants without legal status in a similar state-funded program and that Illinois' Democratic governor, JB Pritzker, has proposed cutting a similar program. He said residents can still buy health insurance on the private market regardless of their immigration status. 'This is about being fiscally responsible,' Backer said. Enrollment by people who entered the country illegally in MinnesotaCare has run triple the initial projections, which Republicans said could have pushed the costs over $600 million over the next four years. Critics said the change won't save any money because those affected will forego preventive care and need much more expensive care later. 'People don't suddenly stop getting sick when they don't have insurance, but they do put off seeking care until a condition gets bad enough to require a visit to the emergency room, increasing overall health care costs for everyone,' Bernie Burnham, president of the Minnesota AFL-CIO, told reporters at a news conference organized by the critics. Walz and legislative leaders agreed on the broad framework for the budget over four weeks ago, contrasting the bipartisan cooperation that produced it with the deep divisions at the federal level in Washington. But with the tie in the House and the razor-thin Senate Democratic majority, few major policy initiatives got off the ground before the regular session ended May 19. Leaders announced Friday that the details were settled and that they had enough votes to pass everything in the budget package.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Planning to vote in New Jersey's June 10 primary? This is what you need to know
The New Jersey primary election is under way. Voters should know their options before heading to the polls. This year's gubernatorial primary will be held June 10, and it is a packed field for the top spot on both sides of the aisle. There are 11 candidates in all — six Democrats and five Republicans. They are vying to represent their respective party in the race for governor this November. There are also contested local primary elections and some contested races for seats in the New Jersey Assembly, the lower house of the Legislature. It's also the first primary to be held without the county line ballot design, so voters will be able to familiarize themselves with the new design with the sample ballots they're set to receive by mail in the coming days. The block ballot design, which is used in all 49 other states, will replace the county line which traditionally gave candidates endorsed by the county party preferred ballot placement, and an edge in their efforts. It was dismantled by a federal judge last year. New Jersey has what's considered a semi-closed primary because all voters have to declare a party affiliation to participate, but unaffiliated voters can do so at the polls. Unaffiliated voters can register while voting in personon Election Day for either the Democratic Party or the Republican Party. After an unaffiliated voter casts an in-person vote in the Democratic or Republican Party primary election, the voter will be affiliated with that political party going forward. The voter can change affiliation by completing, signing and returning a change of party affiliation form to the municipal clerk or county commissioner of registration. The deadline to apply for a mail-in ballot has passed and early in-person voting has concluded. Election Day for this year's primary will be June 10. Polls are open June 10 from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. That is the deadline to postmark a mail-in ballot for it to be eligible. Mail-in ballots can also be delivered to County Boards of Election and authorized ballot drop boxes by 8 p.m. on June 10. Katie Sobko covers the New Jersey Statehouse. Email: sobko@ This article originally appeared on NJ primary election 2025: How to vote on June 10 date
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
A Wichita City Council candidate taped campaign material in City Hall. Can she do that?
In our Reality Check stories, Wichita Eagle journalists dig deeper into questions over facts, consequences and accountability. Story idea? tips@ LaWanda DeShazer, a candidate for the open District 1 seat on the Wichita City Council, posted — then deleted — a campaign video she taped in City Hall. The taping violated a city policy that prohibits any type of campaigning inside city-owned buildings. The video was taped on June 4 and posted on Facebook later in the week to promote DeShazer's campaign launch event that weekend. While it was being taped, a Wichita Eagle reporter saw a member of City Hall staff ask DeShazer to not tape inside the building. The video had been deleted by Monday morning, after the event and after an Eagle reporter questioned DeShazer about it. 'There's a lot of new people running for office. … We don't know these nuances,' DeShazer said. Democrats crowd into race for open Wichita City Council seat. Who's running? The city said the policy that prohibits campaigning on public property has no enforcement mechanism. 'The City focuses on education and we would share the policy with candidates,' city spokesperson Megan Lovely said. A separate state statute prohibits campaigning in city-owned buildings through means of distributing literature and campaign materials unless other candidates have the opportunity to do so. But it doesn't explicitly prohibit filming campaign material on city property. People found in violation of the state statute are subject to a $500 fine or a month in jail. DeShazer said she thought her video being filmed in City Hall was OK after current District 1 council member Brandon Johnson posted a video shot outside McAfee Pool endorsing another candidate, Joseph Shepard. Johnson was wearing a city of Wichita shirt in the video. 'The endorsement video featuring Councilmember Brandon Johnson was filmed outside McAfee Pool, a city-operated entity. In doing so, we remained in compliance with both the Wichita City Code and City Policy #20,' Shepard said in a statement. 'Our filming respected these guidelines. We ensured there was no disruption to pedestrian or vehicle access and remained outside the facility's fence line.' Johnson backed Shepard's statement, saying Shepard reviewed city code before filming the endorsement video. 'It is unfortunate that Ms. DeShazer is suggesting that because she did not follow municipal code and Council policy, that one of her opponents did the same,' Johnson said in a statement. 'The fact that he and his team went the additional steps of reviewing guidelines is yet another reason he should be the Council Member for District 1.' Chris Pumpelly, who's also running for the seat, said he didn't find the video to be inappropriate since DeShazer is a private citizen. But he added already-elected officials must be held to a higher standard. 'The voters of District 1 are smart enough to know the City isn't endorsing a candidate in this race, but it's important as an elected official to make that line VERY clear in all your actions,' Pumpelly said in a statement to The Eagle. Other candidates in the crowded race to replace the term-limited Johnson are Aujanae Bennett and Darryl Carrington. A primary election is set for Aug. 5, with the top two candidates moving forward to the general election on Nov. 4. DeShazer said more education should be provided to candidates about campaigning when they file. 'I'm not trying to violate rules because I want to make things better for people, not worse,' she said.
