AUSTIN (KXAN) — Advocacy groups are raising concerns after a federal lawsuit repealed the Texas Dream Act.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.
“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.”
“These students aren’t asking for handouts,” Corchado said. “They’re investing in their future.”
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