After the Trump Administration took legal action, Texas Governor Greg Abbott removed the Texas Dream Act (TDA). The law allowed undocumented students to pay in-state tuition if they had been attending school in the past 12 months and had graduated from a Texas high school.

With this change, the students affected have seen a tuition increase over an alarming 150%. For Dallas College students, in-state tuition was $99 per credit hour, while out-of-state and international students were $250 per credit hour. This risks an upsurge of people dropping out of college due to a financial burden.

While some students have lost hope, many have woken up to fight against this decision, and they are not alone. Representative Rick Noriega, the legislator who introduced the act back in 2001, came back and created the Texas Dreamers Legal Defense Fund. This fund is dedicated to helping students who are targeted by the government and are planning to file lawsuits, explaining how the TDA has not only helped the students, but has also contributed to the United States’ economy.

The website, texasdreamerlegaldefensefund.com, states: “Our own Governor and Attorney General refused to defend it. Instead, without a fight, they colluded with the Department of Justice to end the Texas Dream Act. A federal judge then signed an order that stops Texas from providing in-state tuition to students under the Texas Dream Act … Now the higher education opportunities of these students are at risk. Students will be forced to pay $30k or $40k for tuition, instead of $10k for the same education.”

Currently, the Texas Dreamer legal defense fund is raising money in order to obtain the best attorneys who are willing to fight for the students. The money is also going towards everything needed for court events to help the affected community and give students their day in court.

The current administration has a mindset that, by punishing all of these students, it will end discrimination. It has done the opposite, as many students are seeing their American Dream and Texas miracle drift further and further away.

For those students who have been affected due to the removal of the Texas Dream Act, Dallas College offers many scholarship opportunities students can apply for through their scholarship portal. They can fill out a general application that will apply automatically to all scholarships they qualify for. Also, there are scholarships outside of Dallas College that don’t have many applicants, which means an easier chance at money for students needing help.

As 2025 comes closer to its end, Texas students have to expect limitations placed on them by the government. It’s important to have plans for any situation, and the removal of the Texas Dream Act has proven that. Dallas College also offers many other affordable programs, where students can earn a certificate of completion. For more information, visit www.dallascollege.edu.