By Ana Milena Varón
Los Angeles, US, Jul 22 (EFE).- The United States President Donald Trump government is pushing a national plan to dismantle aid to undocumented students in universities, as part of a “broader” campaign that endangers the rights and safety of all students and professors, education advocates warned on Tuesday.
Representatives from the National Education Association (NEA), the Texas State Teachers Association, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and United We Dream criticized at a press conference the legal advance of the US Department of Justice (DOJ) to reduce state aid in at least three states despite having been approved with bipartisan support.
“They are part of a broader coordinated attack aimed at undermining public education as a common good,” said Gladys Fátima Márquez, a member of the NEA Executive Committee.
The doctor of education who works in the state of Illinois said that the White House is advancing a campaign aimed at “controlling what students believe” and manipulating reality.
Specifically, education advocates refer to the legal actions that the DOJ has filed challenging state aid for undocumented students in states such as Texas, Kentucky, and Minnesota.
The end of 24 years of a bipartisan law
The Trump administration already achieved a victory in the state of Texas in June when a federal judge temporarily revoked the state’s Dream Act.
The program, established in 2001 with bipartisan support, allowed certain undocumented youths who live in Texas and graduated from high school in the state to pay the same university tuition as legal residents.
In a lawsuit, the DOJ alleged that the state, a known Republican stronghold, was “unconstitutionally discriminating” against US citizens for the “benefit” of foreigners.
It is estimated that some 73,000 students in Texas public universities will be affected by the repeal of the state law.
In June, the state of Texas asked public universities to identify undocumented students who had benefited from reduced tuition fees so that they would be required to pay full tuition in the fall.
“The US Department of Justice believes that students like me do not deserve opportunities, are not fit to lead or live the American dream,” Rory, an affected psychology student who did not want to reveal her last name, said at the press conference.
Educators and students alike criticized the acquiescence of the Republican Governor and Attorney General of Texas, Greg Abbott and Ken Paxton, respectively, to the White House’s plan, as well as their failure to defend the law in court.
Valeria Alvarado, an attorney with the ACLU of Texas, stated that the Texas government’s decision to agree with the DOJ to repeal the law was made without consulting students, members of the local community, or universities regarding the precise impact that the repeal will have on higher education in Texas.
“What happened here clearly (…) is a disrespect for the legislative system we have in Texas,” the lawyer said.
A national plan
The DOJ has already challenged two other state laws. One of these is in Kentucky. The other is in Minnesota. These laws favour undocumented students. They allow them to pay the same tuition as legal residents of those states.
“No state can allow Americans to be treated as second-class citizens in their own country by offering financial benefits to undocumented immigrants,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement about the lawsuit in Kentucky, where there is a possibility that the Trump administration will achieve a new victory.
But the outlook is different in Minnesota, where a fight is expected to defend the program by Governor Tim Walz, former Vice President Kamala Harris’s running mate in 2024, and who has been a vehement critic of President Trump’s second administration.
Other states, such as California and Illinois, also have specific aid for undocumented students.
Educators also warned that the risk of militarization of educational entities has increased under this administration.
A call was made to the private sector in Texas to provide financial support to students affected by the repeal of the law while a legal battle takes place in a federal court, which seeks to reverse the challenge.
EFE
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