Migrant children are our kids, deserve tuition deal
Sheridan Aguirre is a third-year student at the University of Texas. A proud Longhorn, he hopes his film degree will open the doors to a successful career in cinematography.
The valedictorian of his high school class, Sheridan always knew he was college-bound and he never imagined that his education would be caught up in political games at the Capitol.
You see, Sheridan is a student without status. His family moved to Texas from Guerrero, Mexico, when he was a year old.
He is able to attend the University of Texas because he is afforded in-state tuition under a bill passed with bipartisan support and signed into law by Gov. Rick Perry in 2001. That bill was passed at a time when our state wasn’t as divided on issues as basic as education and health care.
Because of that bill, Texas led the nation for in-state tuition for students without status; today, 20 states allow residents without legal status to be eligible for in-state tuition rates.
Last month, nearly 160 students donned in caps and gowns traveled to the Capitol to testify against Senate Bill 1819, authored by Sen. Donna Campbell. This harmful, misguided bill would repeal the in-state tuition we all championed 14 years ago.
The bill threatens to destroy any hope of higher education for these students, who make up less than 2 percent of Texas’ college enrolled students. These students call Texas home; these are our kids.
We call students like Sheridan “dreamers” because they, like the rest of our kids, are in pursuit of the American Dream. They dream of becoming teachers, doctors, business leaders and filmmakers.
In 2013, our so-called dreamers contributed $51.6 million in tuition and fees in Texas. That’s about five times more than the state spends on sending them to college. Moreover, immigrant labor contributes about $65 billion to our state’s economy each year, keeping Texas a highly competitive state.
The education of our students without status is not just an opportunity for our children; it’s an economic opportunity for Texas. But Campbell’s bill would strip that opportunity away.
Campbell and others who want to deny educational opportunities to these Texas children have made a lot of claims that just don’t hold up.
For example, supporters of Campbell’s SB 1819 claim that the 2 percent of students benefiting from the 2001 law are somehow “taking the spots” of other Texas students in college. This simply is false. No data shows a displacement of Texans from college enrollment. In fact, Texas students without status are shown to consistently contribute more to the Texas education system and economy than they take out.
Those seeking a repeal of in-state tuition claim it’s a magnet for immigration. But experts in immigration, defense and education have debunked this myth. No one risks life and limb crossing a border with their children to perhaps send those children to college 18 years later. Texas’ booming economy and reputation as a land of opportunity, supported in part by the work of immigrant residents, attracts people across the world to this state.
These arguments also distract from the larger point: This is a moral issue. Treating children who have grown up in Texas as in-state residents is the right thing to do. After all, most of these children were brought across our borders at a young age. Texas is the only home they know.
The ongoing efforts to repeal in-state tuition for all Texans suggest a severe misunderstanding of what the 2001 legislation offers. That law allows instate tuition eligibility to taxpaying residents who have graduated from a Texas high school and whose families have resided in the state for at least a year.
Repealing in-state tuition eligibility for these students would set a dangerous precedent. Not only would it be morally wrong, it presumes that immigration status is more static than it is. In fact, many students without status are in the process of obtaining DACA — deferred action for childhood arrivals — permits, permanent residency and citizenship.
Campbell and others seeking to repeal in-state tuition are calling today’s children “criminals”; what they do not realize is that they are tomorrow’s voters and community leaders.
At its core, SB 1819 threatens to cripple Texas’ growing economy by creating a second-class citizen of individuals. Sheridan’s future — and the future of kids like him — cannot be used as political red meat for Republican primary voters.
Rodriguez is a Democratic state House representative from Austin.