Texas Legislator Introduces Bill to Stop Illegal Immigrants from Getting In-State Tuition

Texas State Rep. Jonathan Stickland (R) has filed legislation (HB 393) to repeal the state’s DREAM Act, which allows illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition for college.

The DREAM Act has been in place since 2001, and according to estimates by Dallas News and the Center for Public Policy Priorities (CPPP), illegal immigrant students received approximately $9.5 million in state grants in both 2010 and 2013. It can be extrapolated from these two numbers that $9.5 million is the approximate annual cost year-to-year, with minor potential fluctuations.

As The Hill notes, Rep. Stickland is concerned about more than the cost, however, arguing that cheaper tuition draws illegal immigrants to the state, which then keeps costs rising. He also wrote the following on his Facebook page:

“We must secure our border and turn off all free handouts. That is why I just filed HB 393, a bill to repeal in-state college tuition for illegals. It is time to put Texas children first. #onward…The liberal media refuse to say ‘illegal’ immigrants, but I won’t. No more handouts, freebies, or reduced prices for people who break the law.”

The average difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition for public universities in Texas is approximately $12,600. CPPP states that 27,770 illegal immigrant students made use of the DREAM Act in 2013. If illegal immigrant students had paid out-of-state tuition, Texas universities could have made roughly $351.2 million more that year in tuition alone.

As of November 17, the bill has been filed in the Texas House of Representatives. No other action has taken place.