After being sued Wednesday by the Department of Justice, Texas agreed to voluntarily end preferential treatment for in-state tuition rates for illegal aliens, sometimes called "dreamers."
The DOJ's lawsuit accused Texas of discriminating against out-of-state American students.
"Federal law prohibits institutions of higher education from providing benefits to aliens that are not offered to U.S. citizens," it said. "The Texas laws blatantly conflict with federal law and are thus in conflict with the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution."
Within hours of the DOJ filing, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a joint motion with the DOJ and agreed that the practice needed to stop. Those two actions happened early enough in the day for the presiding federal judge to wrap it all up with an order to permanently block special support for illegal aliens to receive education price breaks in Texas.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott posted a copy of the federal court order and a summary of the results: "In-state tuition for illegal immigrants in Texas has ended."
The practice in Texas goes back more than two decades, when the state legislature approved assistance for illegal immigrants. The state legislative analysis described how the bill would circumvent federal law and "removes federal immigration status as a factor for determining eligibility."
A release from Paxton after the final court order read, "Ending this discriminatory and un-American provision is a major victory for Texas."
Jim Mishler ✉
Jim Mishler, a seasoned reporter, anchor and news director, has decades of experience covering crime, politics and environmental issues.
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