Texas bishops ‘profoundly disappointed’ by court blocking in-state tuition for undocumented students

The Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops (TCCB) issued a statement June 6 expressing disappointment over a recent federal court ruling that restricts access to in-state tuition for some undocumented students.

The case centered on the Texas Dream Act, a policy enacted in 2001 that allowed some noncitizen students — those who met specific criteria including graduating from a Texas high school and pledging to pursue permanent residency — to pay in-state tuition rates at public colleges and universities. 

A federal judge blocked the law June 4 after the U.S. Department of Justice sued the state, and Texas officials joined the effort, arguing the policy violated federal law, The Texas Tribune reported. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton called the decision a major victory, while U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said the law treated Americans like “second-class citizens,” echoing concerns raised by Trump administration officials.

In response, the bishops said they were “profoundly disappointed” by the ruling, which they said diminishes opportunities for young people who had become part of the state’s social fabric.

“These eligible students were youth who were brought into the United States by their parents as young children and through no fault of their own,” the TCCB said. “Texas became their home.”

According to the bishops, the affected students have lived and attended school in Texas, and have become “responsible, hard-working members of our local communities.” 

They also pointed to economic implications, citing estimates that nearly 57,000 undocumented students are currently enrolled in higher education in the state, with around 18,000 graduating from Texas high schools each year.

“The action by the Trump Administration and the Texas attorney general to ask a federal judge to overturn the law, and the subsequent ruling by the court,” they said, “now propels our society further away from just and reasonable immigration reform that would foster human flourishing based in the tranquility of order and human dignity.”

The bishops argued that the ruling will reduce educational access for immigrant students raised in Texas, hinder workforce development, and pose long-term challenges to the state’s economic growth.

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