麻豆精品

Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for 麻豆精品 Newsletter

Even though Jorge and his younger sister are only two years apart in age, their college experiences are headed in different directions.

They were both motivated and highly engaged high school students in Central Texas. But after graduation, he went to Austin Community College and had to work three jobs to pay for tuition. She enrolled at Texas State University on a full scholarship.

It wasn鈥檛 academics or ambition that separated the siblings, but their immigration status. Their parents, seeking economic opportunity, crossed the U.S.-Mexico border with Jorge in their arms when he was 1 year old. They had his sister in Austin a short time later.

This fall, Jorge hoped to finally be on equal footing with her. The 21-year-old had saved enough money to afford tuition at Texas State and had applied to transfer there to study mechanical engineering. His plans depended on having access to in-state tuition, the lower rate that Texas residents pay to attend public colleges and is often half, or even a third, of what out-of-state students are charged.

But the siblings鈥� path may soon split for good. Last week, state officials agreed to the federal government鈥檚 demand to living in Texas.

Jorge is one of thousands of students whose education plans may have been truncated by the ruling. Their aspirations 鈥� to become engineers or lawyers, or join other professions 鈥� haven鈥檛 disappeared. But the road has grown steeper. For some, it may now be out of reach.

The Texas Tribune spoke to four students who were brought into the country when they were young and are weighing what last week鈥檚 ruling means for their college plans. They requested anonymity out of fear that being identified publicly could make them or their families a target for deportation.

The students said they had been on high alert for months, fearing that the Texas Dream Act 鈥� the 2001 law that allowed undocumented students to qualify for in-state tuition and state financial aid 鈥� would be repealed this year as anti-immigrant rhetoric soared with the start of a new Trump administration.

Federal officials have set a goal of deporting 1 million undocumented immigrants by the end of this year, and perhaps no state has extended them as much help as Texas. Gov. said the National Guard can now . State lawmakers have from the state鈥檚 budget on border security and passed a law this year to work with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. And a proposal to end the Texas Dream Act in the Texas Legislature than it had in a decade.

鈥淭his one got further along than I was comfortable with, so I was keeping my eye on it,鈥� Jorge said.

The students were relieved when lawmakers ended this year鈥檚 legislative session without repealing the law, but it was short-lived. They hadn鈥檛 prepared for the federal government and state officials to turn to the courts to dismantle the long-standing policy.

Schools, many of which had already started summer classes, were also caught off guard and have struggled to answer critical questions: What will happen to students who can鈥檛 pay the difference in tuition? Will they be left with debt and no degree?

Students have been trying to find their own answers, with little luck. College access advocates and legal experts say they are still trying to gauge the ruling鈥檚 implications and whether it can be challenged.

Soon after the court announced its decision, Jorge鈥檚 friends texted him a news article about it.

鈥淚 was shocked,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 stayed up until 3 in the morning just reading everything I could.鈥�

From dream to disappointment

For nearly 24 years, the Texas Dream Act made college more affordable for students like Jorge.

The law extended access to in-state tuition rates to university and college students who are not U.S. citizens but have lived in Texas for three years prior to graduating high school and one year prior to enrolling in college. The law required them to sign an affidavit declaring that they would apply for permanent legal residency as soon as they were able.

About 19,500 students signed an affidavit to qualify for in-state tuition in 2023. That number not only includes students living illegally in the country but also those who are here on visas, such as those whose parents received work permits and reside legally in the U.S. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, which tracks the number of affidavit signers, has told lawmakers the agency does not ask students to disclose their immigration status.

Affidavit signers are also eligible to receive state financial aid. Texas GOP senators have expressed concern that those students take an outsized portion of the state aid available, but according to Every Texan, a left-leaning policy research institute, that鈥檚 not the case. Affidavit signers received $17.3 million of the $635.2 million 鈥� less than 3% 鈥� of the aid distributed in 2023, the group found.

The law was not controversial when it was passed. It was seen, , as a common-sense way to boost the economy. Undocumented students contribute more than $80 million annually to the Texas higher education system and fill vacancies in critical sectors like health care, education and technology, according to .

But the Tea Party movement and President Donald Trump have pushed the Republican Party, in Texas and across the country, toward a more nativist stance.

In 2021, Abbott launched a billion-dollar border security initiative called . As part of that effort, he increased the penalty for the state crime of trespassing and directed state troopers . Abbott across the state this week to respond to protests against federal deportation raids, which his office says have devolved into lawlessness in cities like Los Angeles.

Republicans now argue the Texas Dream Act amounted to a subsidy that deprived U.S. citizens of opportunities. Texans for Strong Borders, an influential anti-immigration group, said the law encouraged people to immigrate to the country illegally.

Last week, the U.S. Department of Justice sued Texas, arguing the Texas Dream Act 鈥渦nconstitutionally discriminates against U.S. citizens.鈥� Texas Attorney General , a long-time critic of the law, chose not to defend it in court despite his history of suing past presidential administrations for overstepping their authority and infringing on the state鈥檚 rights. A federal judge favored by conservative litigants quickly ruled in favor of the Justice Department and declared the law unconstitutional.

Republicans quickly celebrated the Texas Dream Act鈥檚 demise. State Sen. , the chair of the Texas Senate鈥檚 education committee and the architect of the state鈥檚 diversity, equity and inclusion ban and other sweeping higher education reforms, that he had filed legislation to end in-state tuition for undocumented students multiple times in previous sessions.

鈥淭his is a long-overdue win for the rule of law, fiscal responsibility, and Texas taxpayers,鈥� the Conroe Republican said.

to eliminate the policy without giving undocumented students and their supporters a chance to push back. The federal government鈥檚 argument that undocumented students are receiving benefits denied to U.S. citizens is false and misleading, said Monica Andrade, an attorney and director of state policy and legal strategy at the Presidents鈥� Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration.

鈥淚n fact, any U.S. citizen who meets the same criteria 鈥� such as attending and graduating from a Texas high school 鈥� qualifies for in-state tuition. These requirements apply regardless of immigration status,鈥� she said.

For Jorge, the political fights over immigration have always cast a shadow over his college dreams.

He wants work for Engineers Without Borders, a humanitarian organization that helps establish clean water, sanitation and infrastructure in developing countries.

His parents taught him that 鈥渆verything that we do has to be for the betterment of the world, because it鈥檚 simply what we as humans owe one another,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he idea of not using education to try to improve the world in some way seems a bit, I don鈥檛 know, backwards.鈥�

Jorge has paid for school himself, starting out working for his father鈥檚 construction company before taking additional jobs as a waiter and a cashier. His schooling has taken longer than usual because sometimes he couldn鈥檛 afford to attend full time, even with access to in-state tuition.

鈥淚 take pride in the fact that my parents don’t have to worry about me being short on bills for school,鈥� he said, 鈥渂ut when it comes to rent and bills, I am definitely still dependent on my family.鈥�

Jorge said he applied to Texas State not because his sister goes there, but because it was affordable. He could keep costs down by continuing to live with his family and commuting to San Marcos for class.

Without access to in-state tuition rates, he said, Texas State is anything but cheap. According to the university鈥檚 website, taking 15 hours in the fall would now cost him an estimated $24,520 in tuition and fees. That鈥檚 double what he would have to pay with in-state tuition.

Jorge still hopes the judge鈥檚 ruling can be overturned. A group of undocumented students took the first steps in that direction this week by asking the judge to . But legal experts say an appeal is a long shot that will likely take months to resolve.

In the meantime, Jorge has already started looking into whether he can finish his degree at a Mexican university online.

鈥淚鈥檇 like to give more back to this country, but if that鈥檚 the option in front of me, I can鈥檛 say I wouldn鈥檛 take it,鈥� he said.

Other undocumented students, even those who have received state financial aid or private scholarships, have also started looking for backup plans.

Aurora, a 26-year-old student at Texas A&M University-San Antonio, is racing to finish her psychology degree. She enrolled in as many classes as possible this summer and fall because she was worried the Legislature would repeal the Texas Dream Act.

鈥淎 lot of us were already nervous, because we kind of feared that this was going to happen, but we just didn’t think it would happen so soon,鈥� she said.

TheDream.US, a national organization that awards scholarships to undocumented students going to college, provides roughly $4,000 to Aurora each semester. But she鈥檇 be at least $6,000 short if required to pay the out-of-state tuition rate. After the court鈥檚 decision, she wondered if she would have to withdraw from her classes for now.

Some students said they felt betrayed.

A.M., a 24-year-old recent Texas A&M University graduate, said he wanted to return to the school to pursue a master鈥檚 degree in public service and administration, but paying out-of-state tuition would be too costly for him. He is also reassessing his options.

A.M. lamented that Paxton didn鈥檛 defend the state law in court, especially after lawmakers declined to repeal it during this year鈥檚 legislative session.

鈥淚t provides a lot of undocumented students with opportunities to fill labor shortages here in this state,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd yet, Paxton kind of turned his back on us, on all of us Texans.鈥�

Colleges face questions

Days after the ruling upended Texas鈥� tuition policy, state officials and universities still can鈥檛 say what happens next, leaving students without much guidance on how to move forward.

Fifteen Democrat state representatives to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board last week asking it to create a first-generation resident tuition rate to allow students who benefited from the Texas Dreamer Act to enroll this fall at a more affordable rate.

鈥淭his action would not override statute but would provide a critical bridge until the Legislature can return to address the matter,鈥� reads the letter, which state Rep. , D-Austin, posted on social media.

Friday evening, the agency replied that it does not have the authority to do what the lawmakers proposed.

The Tribune reached out to the nine Texas public universities and colleges with the highest enrollment of affidavit signers and asked them if they would charge those students the higher rate immediately; if students who had already paid in-state tuition rates for summer classes would have to pay the difference; or if students would have any recourse to challenge the higher costs. The University of Texas at Austin, the University of Texas at Arlington, the Dallas College District and Houston Community College did not respond.

It鈥檚 unclear if any Texas university knows which of their students are undocumented or how they will determine who should now be charged the out-of-state tuition rate. The University of Houston System said it does not require applicants to disclose their immigration status. Other schools 鈥� including Texas A&M University, Lone Star College, the University of Texas at Dallas and UT-Rio Grande Valley 鈥� did not answer when asked if they do. They said they were still trying to understand the ruling and what it means for their students.

UT-RGV officials acknowledged the ruling鈥檚 likely impact on students鈥� financial plans.

鈥淥ur priority and focus are on minimizing disruption to student success consistent with applicable law and helping students navigate this transition with clarity and care,鈥� said Melissa Vasquez, a university spokesperson, in a statement.

College access experts worry colleges could start identifying undocumented students to cut off their access to in-state tuition rates, which could expose them to immigration enforcement.

In addition, they said, the ruling could set the state back on its goal of having 60% of Texans between the ages of 25-34 . As of 2021, only 49% of Texans in that age group had done so, according to the most recent data from the Higher Education Coordinating Board.

鈥淲e are hopeful that colleges will do what they can to help students complete the path they started,鈥� said Will Davies, director of policy and research at Breakthrough Central Texas, a nonprofit dedicated to helping students from low-income communities become the first in their family to go to college. 鈥淚 mean, that鈥檚 good for all Texans. No one benefits from forcing students to stop out with existing debt and without the credentials that can help them achieve economic stability.鈥�

Ale, 24, worked hard to graduate from the University of North Texas with a degree in political science, knowing her efforts might not pay off.

She has work authorization and a driver鈥檚 license via the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which was created under the Obama administration and shields some undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children from deportation. DACA, which is also facing legal challenges, allowed Ale to split her week working four days as a hotel manager and attending classes at the University of North Texas in her remaining time. One semester, she and her parents worked extra hours so she could afford to be an unpaid intern for a politician.

Now, Ale works for a law firm in North Texas that assists international students who, like her, . She wanted to apply to UT-Austin鈥檚 law school before she learned last week that the Texas Dream Act was no more.

She said she鈥檚 trying to channel the sadness she feels about her situation into motivating her younger sisters, who are U.S. citizens, to never take their educational opportunities for granted. And she still plans to take the LSAT.

鈥淚鈥檓 not going to give up on myself,鈥� she said.

Ale isn鈥檛 alone in that resolve.

Jorge said he鈥檚 going to study Mexican history so he can prepare for the entrance exam at two Mexican universities, Tecnol贸gico de Monterrey and Universidad Nacional Aut贸noma de M茅xico, where he鈥檚 considering finishing his degree online.

A.M., who wants to use his education to help reform the country鈥檚 health care system, is looking into moving to one of the 23 states that do offer undocumented students in-state tuition rates and paying for his master鈥檚 degree there. He feels sad and scared about the possibility of having to move away from his family and friends.

鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of like having to start from scratch, and all the connections I made here, I might not be able to see for a while,鈥� he said.

Aurora felt hopeful she鈥檒l be able to finish her degree after TheDream.US told her this week she will continue to receive support, even if she decides to transfer to another university.

鈥淚鈥檓 still a bit anxious, but at the same time positive because there are people out there who support us,鈥� she said.

All four said they are still trying to reconcile what it means to be raised in Texas and yet be told, in rhetoric and increasingly through law, that they don鈥檛 belong.

This article originally appeared in at .The Texas Tribune is a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org.

Did you use this article in your work?

We鈥檇 love to hear how 麻豆精品鈥檚 reporting is helping educators, researchers, and policymakers.