When Max Prado first heard about the federal judge’s order eliminating the Texas Dream Act on June 4, a Texas law that gave many undocumented students in-state tuition at public universities, he felt one emotion: anxiety.
“There’s a lot of (anxiety) about how we want to respond, how this will affect students,” Prado said. “What can students do to keep going to college? What’s going to happen to them, to their future, to their dreams?”
Prado advocated at the Texas State Capitol alongside immigrant organizations against Texas Senate Bill 1798, which attempted to repeal the act during the 89th Texas Legislative Session. Although this bill did not pass, the judge’s ruling later in June ended the Texas Dream Act, with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board sending letters to public universities tasking them to identify and charge undocumented students out-of-state tuition rates.
As part of Texas Students for DEI, Prado wanted to find a way to help these students immediately, knowing the court appeals process could take some time. Alongside Students Engaged in Advancing Texas, Texas Students for DEI created Keeping the Texas Dream on July 11, an emergency mutual fund for undocumented students in the state.
“So the idea was, what about the students now?” Prado said. “What’s gonna happen to them? They can’t just put their education on the back burner for years or a semester or two.”
According to U.S. News & World Report, in-state tuition at UT for the 2024-25 academic year was $11,678, while out-of-state tuition was $42,778, which is the price undocumented students may have to pay with the new change. Hayden Cohen, state policy director for Students Engaged in Advancing Texas, said the funding is not aimed at covering the complete costs of these undocumented students, but rather, to bring it as close to in-state tuition as possible.
“We know many students were going through the summer and had already applied in early classes,” Cohen said. “Knowing that they found out at some way, whether it be through a loan, scholarship, whatever it is, to cover that in-state (tuition), it would be an out-of-state (tuition) — that was a surprise and that can be an additional $15,000. That’s kind of where the fund is coming in, it’s to really try and help.”
Texas Students for DEI and Students Engaged in Advancing Texas are not the only organizations trying to help undocumented students after the repeal of the Texas Dream Act. Rooted, a coalition of immigrant UT students and graduates, opened applications for the Rooted Financial Assistance Program on Aug. 3. Similar to Keeping the Texas Dream, this initiative aims to help undocumented students facing out-of-state tuition.
Victoria, who requested to only be referred to by her first name, is helping lead the funding for the Rooted Financial Assistance Program. She said the point of funding is aimed particularly at undocumented senior students who are close to finishing their degrees, but may not be able to afford it.
“(That is) priority number one, to get those seniors across the finish line,” Victoria said. “We’re going to fight with all we have to get you graduated because you’ve already invested all your time here and put all of your efforts into your education.”
Donations to Keeping the Texas Dream funding can be made through the Texas Students for DEI Website. Victoria said the Rooted Financial Assistance Program received grant funding for the program earlier this year and is accepting donations through GoFundMe, which has raised $576 at the time of writing.
Despite these obstacles, Prado said these organizations are determined to help undocumented students in need however they can.
“There is a way to keep education,” Prado said. “(This is) not what you’re promised (in) the (Texas) Dream Act, but there is a way out, a way to keep going forward … don’t give up just yet.”
