The college dreams of 80,000 undocumented California students threatened by Trump suit
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Born in Mexico and brought to the U.S.by her parents when she was 1, Sara has lived in California nearly all her life.
As an undocumented immigrant, she pays in-state tuition rates at East Los Angeles College — $619 per semester, a fraction of the $5,286 charged to out-of-state students.Because of her immigration status, Sara is not eligible for Pell Grants and other federal student aid.Under a 2001 state law and the California Dream Act — Sara pays lower in-state tuition and receives state financial aid for college — she has been able to afford her education.
When she receives her associate’s degree, she intends to transfer to a Cal State or UC campus and major in business administration.But Friday her dreams felt more out of reach, after the Trump administration sued California, alleging the state’s laws granting in-state tuition rates and financial aid to undocumented students are illegal.
The suit threatens the higher education goals of about 80,000 undocumented college students, many who arrived in the state as children.California The University of California board of regents voted Wednesday to renew a “tuition stability” that will hike tuition by up to 5% for each new incoming class.
Students from across UC campuses rallied at UCLA to oppose the vote.“After I get my degree, I want to use it to work in California and contribute to my community,” said Sara, who requested to withhold her last name because she is fearful of federal immigration enforcement action.“How does that hurt anyone?”The Department of Justice on Thursday sued California and its three public higher education systems, seeking to overturn a decades-old state law that provides lower in-state tuition to undocumented students who have attended the state’s high schools.
The Trump administration also sued to put an end to the California Dream Act, which it alleges gives illegal prefer...