Latest news with #undocumentedStudents
CBS News
3 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
Texas Dream Act allowing in-state tuition for undocumented students dismantled
For over 20 years, thousands of undocumented students have benefited from the Texas Dream Act. The law gave college students without legal residency access to reduced in-state tuition. "All three of my brothers and sisters are college graduates. We made it, but we are a very small percentage of people who, because of HB 1403, because of in-state tuition, were able to make it," said Cesar Espinosa, a Texas Dream Act recipient. Wednesday, just hours after the Department of Justice filed suit challenging the Texas law, a federal judge blocked the Texas Dream Act, calling it "unconstitutional and invalid." The law was passed in the state legislature in 2001 with bipartisan support. Domingo Garcia who was a state representative at the time and helped write the bill is calling this latest development "mean-spirited." "The recent remarks and actions targeting the Hispanic community in Texas are deeply concerning and do not reflect the values of fairness, justice, and equality that our society is built upon," said Garcia. There have been efforts in the legislature to eliminate the Texas Dream Act. In April, Espinosa was one of dozens of people who testified against a bill to tear it down. "It took me 33 years to get my status. I wanted to get status when I was 5, I wanted to get status when I was 10, I was dying to get status when I was 18 and was accepted to Yale, and Brown and Cornell University," said Espinosa. Many are also highlighting the economic consequences this repeal will bring. According to a report by Every Texan, Texas Dream Act students paid $81.6 million in tuition and fees in 2023. "The Texas Dream Act is one of the rare pieces of legislation that over 20 years people who have tried to come and mess with it have failed because it was designed so well to do what it was supposed to do what it was supposed to do, which is recoup the investment that we make on students," said Jaime Puente, Director of Economic opportunity, Every Texan.
The Independent
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Justice Department sues Texas over in-state tuition for students without legal residency
The Justice Department on Wednesday sought to block a Texas law that for decades has given college students without legal residency in the U.S. access to reduced in-state tuition rates. Texas was the first state in the nation in 2001 to pass a law allowing ' Dreamers,' or young adults without legal status, to be eligible for in-state tuition if they meet certain residency criteria. Several states followed suit and have since passed similar legislation. The lawsuit filed in Texas federal court asks a judge to block the law, which some state Republican lawmakers have sought to repeal for years. 'Under federal law, schools cannot provide benefits to illegal aliens that they do not provide to U.S. citizens,' said Attorney General Pam Bondi said. 'The Justice Department will relentlessly fight to vindicate federal law and ensure that U.S. citizens are not treated like second-class citizens anywhere in the country.' About 57,000 undocumented students are enrolled in Texas universities and colleges, according to the Presidents' Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, a nonpartisan nonprofit group of university leaders focused on immigration policy.
Associated Press
4 days ago
- Politics
- Associated Press
Justice Department sues Texas over in-state tuition for students without legal residency
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Justice Department on Wednesday sought to block a Texas law that for decades has given college students without legal residency in the U.S. access to reduced in-state tuition rates. Texas was the first state in the nation in 2001 to pass a law allowing 'Dreamers,' or young adults without legal status, to be eligible for in-state tuition if they meet certain residency criteria. Several states followed suit and have since passed similar legislation. The lawsuit filed in Texas federal court asks a judge to block the law, which some state Republican lawmakers have sought to repeal for years. 'Under federal law, schools cannot provide benefits to illegal aliens that they do not provide to U.S. citizens,' said Attorney General Pam Bondi said. 'The Justice Department will relentlessly fight to vindicate federal law and ensure that U.S. citizens are not treated like second-class citizens anywhere in the country.' About 57,000 undocumented students are enrolled in Texas universities and colleges, according to the Presidents' Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, a nonpartisan nonprofit group of university leaders focused on immigration policy.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump Executive Order Seeks to End Undocumented In-State Tuition Programs
This article was originally published in Chalkbeat. Undocumented students in Colorado have gone on to be teachers, nurses, and business owners thanks to a program that allows them to pay in-state tuition at public universities. Now the future of that program and ones like it in 23 other states are in doubt after President Donald Trump signed an executive order that seeks to punish states and cities with so-called sanctuary policies. The order, signed on April 28, also specifically calls out programs that provide in-state tuition for undocumented students who graduated from high school in that state or who meet other residency requirements. Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter Allowing in-state students who are not citizens to pay less tuition than out-of-state students who are citizens represents discrimination, according to the order, which says that the attorney general, in cooperation with the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, 'shall identify and take appropriate action to stop the enforcement of state and local laws, regulations, policies, and practices favoring aliens over any groups of American citizens that are unlawful.' Advocates for immigrant students say that without in-state tuition, many undocumented students will struggle to afford college. They don't qualify for any federal financial aid and face other barriers to college. 'This is absolutely essential for immigrant students,' said Raquel Lane-Arellano, communications manager for the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition, which fought to pass Colorado's in-state tuition law in 2013. 'It's not these students' fault that our immigration system is so broken. They deserve the opportunity, just like all of their peers, to access higher levels of education.' So far, Colorado universities are not making any immediate changes to their policies. 'The executive order does not provide enough details to truly know what federal actions will be taken,' said Colorado Department of Higher Education spokesperson Megan McDermott. The Trump order sets up a possible legal showdown over the state-supported tuition programs that immigrant rights and higher education-advising groups have called essential to help undocumented students access higher education and educate them to fill in-demand jobs. Twenty-four states, including Colorado, Illinois, New York, and New Jersey, along with Washington, D.C. have programs that allow undocumented students to pay in-state tuition. While the programs have received bipartisan support, Republicans in several states have recently filed bills to consider rolling back in-state tuition for undocumented students. Last week, Florida lawmakers ended the state's decade-old program. The order adds to an already uncertain environment for immigrant students, who worry about the risks of filling out financial aid paperwork while grappling with deportation fears. Denver Scholarship Foundation's Natasha Garfield said the college-advising nonprofit will continue to provide students information about their options and allow them to decide whether college is right for them during a time when Trump's immigration stance has brought incredible uncertainty. 'There are some who are very, very concerned about the state of things, and I don't think there's anything that DSF or anyone else could say to reassure them,' said Garfield, the scholarship organization's director of scholarships and financial aid. 'I think that's completely understandable given some of the actions that we've seen coming from ICE [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] and the federal government.' The order is part of Trump's larger push to crack down on people in the United States without legal authorization. His directive to punish states with these programs also included several other enforcement actions such as punishing so-called sanctuary cities and states. The administration filed suit Friday against Colorado and Denver for its policies. The administration argues in the order that some state and local officials use their 'authority to violate, obstruct, and defy the enforcement of federal immigration laws. This is a lawless insurrection against the supremacy of Federal law.' States have a long history of offering in-state tuition at public universities to youth who were brought as children and without legal status. Texas and California passed the first laws in 2001, and other states followed with similar laws. Each varies in how they approach granting in-state tuition. About 408,000 undocumented students enroll in higher education each year, although not all benefit from these state programs, according to the Higher Ed Immigration Portal. However, even in states without these laws, some private schools in Tennessee and elsewhere may offer in-state tuition for all students regardless of their residency or legal status. And in Pennsylvania, at least one public institution provides in-state tuition to undocumented students. Colorado's Advising Students for a Stronger Tomorrow law, or ASSET, updated in 2019, says students must have attended a Colorado high school for at least one year before graduation or been physically present in Colorado for at least one year to qualify for in-state tuition. New York's law says students must have attended at least two years of high school in New York and graduate or receive a general education diploma. Students must also apply to a college or university within five years and show proof of residency. They must also sign an affidavit saying they will file for legal status. Illinois' law has similar requirements, while New Jersey requires three years of residency. National student immigrant advocacy organizations and the Presidents' Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration all criticized the order. Collectively, they said states, colleges, and universities shouldn't overreact and that the order hurts states that need qualified workers. 'Blocking states from offering in-state tuition to undocumented students who have lived in these states for most of their lives would purposefully lock countless individuals out of the higher education system, waste years of educational investment, hurt local economies, and rob all Americans of future leaders,' said Todd Schulte, president. State leaders are still working to understand the impact of the order, and a spokesperson for Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said in a statement the administration is looking into the impacts of this order. The state remains committed to ensuring the state remains a destination for all learners, the statement says. The state has not filed any legal action against the order, but leaders have been willing to push back on Trump administration orders. Colorado's largest university system also doesn't plan changes at this time. University of Colorado System spokesperson Michele Ames said its schools are committed to following applicable laws and will not make any changes at this time. Other universities, such as the University of Northern Colorado, are monitoring the actions. Schools across the state have also said that they won't release individual student information, such as information about undocumented students who attend schools through the ASSET program, to the federal government without a court order or warrant, per federal student privacy laws. This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools. Sign up for their newsletters at
