Editor’s note: The professor quoted in the article is speaking independently and not on behalf of the University.

Two student-led organizations in Texas raised over $30,000 to help undocumented students pay for tuition and other expenses after a federal judge overturned the Texas Dream Act, a law that granted undocumented students in-state tuition in June.
The U.S. Department of Justice said in a June news release the Dream Act went against a federal law that prohibits higher education institutions “from providing benefits to aliens that are not offered to U.S. citizens.” As a result, undocumented students now face tuition costs three to four times higher, said Kassi Gonzalez, a senior attorney at the Texas Civil Rights Project. Two Texas student organizations began fundraising over the summer to help cover the costs. 

Rooted, a coalition of immigrant UT students and alumni, raised over $12,000 since it launched a fund in August to help undocumented students. Victoria, a Rooted co-lead who requested to only be referred to by her first name, said the fund has helped students cover tuition and basic needs, such as rent and groceries.

Victoria said undocumented students not only lost in-state tuition, but also access to the Texas Application for State Financial Aid. Now, some students rely on private scholarships or student-led funds for financial help, she said.

“We definitely want to honor everyone who does chip in (for the fund),” Victoria said. “Every day there’s a fire to put out, and to think that people are placing whatever they can in our fund is very meaningful.”
Similarly, Texas Students for DEI, a group that began at UT and has since expanded across the state, has raised over $19,000. D, an organizer who preferred to be identified by their first initial, said the organization prioritizes students from community colleges and other schools without funds like Rooted’s. So far, the fund has helped four students across multiple Texas universities.
Texas Students for DEI would need about $150,000 to cover the difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition for all students who applied, D said. At least 25 students have applied to receive financial help, according to the organization’s social media post. The organization paused applications and can only cover 50% of what each student asks for due to limited funding, they said.

“We’re still having to make a lot of hard decisions about how much money students (are given), but the students that we have given money for, they’ve been really grateful,” D said. “They’ve been able to continue their education.”

Luis Urrieta, an education professor focusing on cultural studies, said this policy could result in immigrant students having limited access to higher education.
“We have a shortage of bilingual teachers in the state and nationally, and some of these students could very well be those teachers,” Urrieta said. “We have a shortage of nurses, tech workers and all kinds of other fields that we could very much fill with these youth that have grown up in this country and really see this country as their home.”