Within 24 hours of being sued by federal government, a Texas law that allowed in-state tuition rates for undocumented immigrants has been ended.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Justice Department filed suit challenging the two-decades-old practice, saying that it discriminated against U.S. citizens and was unconstitutional.
"Under federal law, schools cannot provide benefits to illegal aliens that they do not provide to U.S. citizens," said Attorney General Pam Bondi. "The Justice Department will relentlessly fight to vindicate federal law and ensure that U.S. citizens are not treated like second-class citizens anywhere in the country."
The court action targeted a Texas law that required colleges and universities to provide in-state tuition rates for all undocumented immigrants who maintained Texas residency, even if they were not in the U.S. legally. The government asserted that federal law prohibited institutions of higher education from providing benefits to aliens that are not offered to U.S. citizens.
Shortly after the court filing, Texas agreed with the government's position. The Texas Tribune reported that the state asked U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor to agree with the government and rule the law unconstitutional, which he did.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said that "ending this discriminatory and un-American provision is a major victory for Texas," the newspaper reported.
The co-founder of TheDream.US, a scholarship program for undocumented students, Don Graham, told the newspaper that in the long run, the action will hurt Texas.
"It'll mean that some of the brightest young students in the country, some of the most motivated, will be denied an opportunity for higher education," Graham told the newspaper. "And it'll hurt the workforce, it'll hurt the economy."
