Texas bishops express profound disappointment over decision to declare Texas Dream Act unconstitutional

Judge’s ruling is detrimental to the state and its residents

The Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops (TCCB) expresses profound disappointment that the will of the Texas Legislature to enable the Texas Dream Act to continue has been overturned by a federal judge.

Since 2001, the Texas Dream Act allowed eligible noncitizen students in Texas to pay in-state tuition at Texas public colleges and universities.  It recognized these students as Texas residents if they met stringent requirements, including each student expressing his or her intention under oath to apply to become a U.S. permanent resident as soon as the student is eligible.

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. Texas became their home.

In the years following their entry, they became proficient in English, were educated in Texas schools, were taught Texas values, and became responsible, hard-working members of our local communities. Simply, they became Texan.

Nearly 57,000 undocumented students are currently enrolled in higher education in Texas, and each year, 18,000 undocumented students graduate from Texas high schools. With access to higher education, these students contribute in-demand skills to our state’s workforce and become leaders in their chosen fields.

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, 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.

This action is a move away from the development of an educated workforce required for economic and social stability. It blocks opportunities for immigrant students who grew up in Texas, limits Texas’s ability to continue growing its skilled workforce, and undermines the state’s long-term economic growth by placing higher education out of financial reach for many low-income students in whom Texas has already invested in educating through high school.