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Advocates for undocumented college students claim some learners have been told incorrectly they are no longer eligible for low in-state tuition rates, the Texas Tribune reports. They are asking for clear guidance on the issue.
In June a federal court ruled unconstitutional the Texas Dream Act, a state law which granted in-state college tuition rates for undocumented college students. The June court ruling came after the state declined to defend a suit filed by the U.S. Justice Department.
Advocates say some schools are confusing students previously eligible under the Dream Act with students attending under the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or DACA, who are considered to be living legally in the United States.
“The rules don’t help at all. They create even more confusion…You’re just going to have, again, more people getting wrongly denied,” said Julieta Garibay, co-founder of United We Dream, a national immigrant advocacy group.
The advocates say several colleges, including Blinn College and Laredo College, initially said on their websites that DACA recipients can no longer obtain in-state tuition.
An assistant commissioner for the coordinating board, Charles W. Contéro-Puls, said repealing the Texas Dream Act would not negatively affect the state’s economy, a claim disputed by the American Immigration Council.
Its analysis concluded rescinding in-state tuition for undocumented students could cost the state more than $460 million annually in lost wages and spending power.
AI ‘GOLD RUSH’ SWEEPS TEXAS As Gov. Greg Abbott helped unveil the new Stargate facility in Abilene, he praised the state’s increasing role in the rapid growth of the artificial intelligence center. The Dallas Morning News reported the governor hinted upcoming data- center buildouts will be “far larger” than the nearly $500 billion center opening in Abilene.
Financial and technology companies are staking claims in the state, Abbott said. S t a r gate’s facility in Abilene is part of a joint venture of OpenAI, Oracle, Softbank and the federal government. It plans to increase capacity at the flagship sites and add two other facilities in Shackelford and Milam counties.
Abbott hinted the sites unveiled are just the beginning for the economic growth spurred by AI.
“When you see the demand for them for artificial intelligence, you will see the power that it will inject into the future of the Texas economy,” he said.
While there are concerns about high energy demand by the data centers, Abbott said the state’s capacity is more than sufficient.
“We have wind, solar, nuclear, which we’re adding even more to, and, of course, natural gas. And so we have low-cost power, abundant power, that is attracting the AI data centers,” he said.
ERCOT WARNS AGAINST POWER GRID ‘COMPLACENCY’ The agency that manages the state’s electric grid said a relatively mild summer put less strain on the state’s power supply, but officials are still warning against complacency.
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas board met recently and credited the milder weather and rapid growth of solar energy and battery storage for an “uneventful” summer for the Texas grid.
In previous hotter summers, ERCOT operators have warned the grid was nearing capacity during prolonged heat waves.
“We’ve had so many well-above-average summers in a row that this seems like a cool summer relative to those,” said Dan Woodfin, ERCOT’s vice president of system operations. “But this is more what a normal summer looks like.”
Peak power demand has not reached record levels since the summer of 2023, but the state’s overall energy consumption has seen “extremely rapid” growth, ERCOT CEO Pablo Vegas said. The state’s energy consumption is rising five times faster than national average growth was from 2000 to 2020, he said.
Vegas said the lack of extreme weather events has overshadowed the state’s rapid growth in power demand, in large part due to the data centers being built across the state.
“It’s important to not ever be lulled into complacency,” Vegas said. “We are just at the inflection point of an acceleration of demand growth ahead of us.”
GOP OFFICIALS DROP ORIGINAL REDISTRICTING RATIONALE
In a new court filing, Texas officials acknowledge the U.S. Justice Department’s rationale for pushing the state to redraw congressional maps was flawed, but the state is still well within its rights to do so, the Austin American-Statesman reported.
“Its ham-fisted legal conclusions notwithstanding, the DOJ letter apparently sought to provide political cover for Texas to engage in partisan redistricting,” the Texas Attorney General’s Office said in a 41-page document.
The state is fighting lawsuits filed since the redistricting plan passed during the summer, likely giving the GOP five more congressional seats in Texas. The move was pushed by President Donald Trump for the party to maintain or increase its razor-thin majority in the House.
The Justice Department originally argued the state’s 2021 redistricting plan was replaced because districts were unconstitutionally based on race. The state is now rejecting that argument, saying the latest redistricting was done for partisan political purposes, which courts have ruled is allowable.
Democrats and their allies have accused Republicans of seeking to silence the voices of Black and Hispanic Texans by diluting their votes.
ABBOTT SIGNS NEW ‘BATHROOM BILL’
The governor has signed a bill passed in the last special session that requires people in public buildings to use restrooms and locker rooms matching the gender listed on their birth certificates, kut.org reported.
Gov. Greg Abbott said the so-called “bathroom bill” will keep men out of women’s restrooms and “is just common sense.”
It takes effect Dec. 4 and applies to public schools, universities, prisons and jails, along with other public buildings. The only exceptions are for people accompanying children under 10, along with custodians, law enforcement and medical workers.
If someone violates the law, the facility would be subject to a fine of $25,000 for the first offense and $125,000 for subsequent offenses. Critics say there is no proof transgender women in Texas are entering bathrooms and causing harm.
Borders is a veteran award-winning Texas journalist. He published a number of community newspapers in Texas during a 30-year span, including in Longview, Fort Stockton, Nacogdoches, Lufkin and Cedar Park. Email: gborders@texaspress.
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