I Was an Undocumented Texas College Student. I’m Not Going Anywhere—and Neither Is Our Movement.

As a proud first-generation undocumented graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and a lifelong product of Texas masses schools I am outraged but not surprised by the latest cowardly attack on our immigrant society The most of latest attempt to gut the Noriega Bill also known as the Texas Dream Act a law that has opened college doors by providing in-state tuition for thousands of undocumented Texas residents over the past years is not just a political maneuver It is a targeted act of cruelty one meant to erase our contributions crush our aspirations and make us feel ashamed of our existence This isn t new Every legislative session since House Bill was passed in Texas Republicans have tried to repeal it And every time undocumented students and allies have shown up in force testifying late into the night sharing how in-state tuition has changed lives lifted up families and strengthened entire communities The th Legislative Session was no different Students and graduates spoke their truths urging lawmakers to preserve a guidelines that gave them hope and a chance at their dream professions Even business leaders and Chambers of Commerce oppose repeal But because lawmakers lacked the political courage to force a floor vote at the Texas Capitol Senate Bill died after passing out of committee state leaders took a coward s path They kicked the issue up to the federal level where the U S Department of Justice launched a lawsuit against the Noriega Bill HB with which Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton swiftly agreed rather than defending his state s law hoping to do behind closed doors what they couldn t accomplish in the sunlight Students and other immigrant rights activists protest at the University of Texas in February Shutterstock Let s be clear This was never about protecting college seats for U S citizens The Noriega Bill merely gave undocumented Texans the same opportunity as documented Texans It has inevitably been about fear about sending a chilling message to undocumented youth that they are not welcome no matter how long they ve lived here how hard they ve worked or how much they ve already given back I felt this hostility personally in April when I testified before the Texas Senate Teaching Committee in opposition to SB As the bill s author read it aloud I felt the bitterness in every word I ve lived in Texas since I graduated from UT-Austin in one of the first undocumented students to do so having paid in-state tuition thanks to the law I remember graduating high school in unsure if all my honors and hard work would matter When HB passed I cried in my mother s arms It meant I could dream again Julieta Garibay after her naturalization ceremony in April Courtesy Julieta Garabay That approach allowed me to earn both a bachelor s and a master s degree in nursing with honors I co-founded United We Dream now the largest immigrant youth-led grid in the country I ve helped others manage college and even citizenship In I became a U S citizen and bought a home In I became a mother And I ve never stopped advocating and organizing because I know firsthand that this law didn t just change my life It transformed entire communities Texas immigrants have proven time and again that when we re given a chance we invest right back into the state we call home Former undocumented students are now nurses teachers engineers and business owners They are parents taxpayers and voters They are your neighbors your co-workers your children s counselors Repealing the Noriega Bill isn t only unjust it will be economically and socially devastating for Texas We ve been here before But this time it s different Currently the thousands who ve benefited from in-state tuition are ready to fight back because we learned to organize to speak up to fight back We know we are not alone We know our rights And we know our worth That s what terrifies Governor Greg Abbott and his fellow Trump loyalists not the presence of immigrants but the power we ve built Instead of focusing on real problems like coach pay populace guidance or access to healthcare they choose to scapegoat immigrants yet again It s shameful It s dangerous And it s beneath the dignity of this great state Protesters outside the Texas Capitol in Sam DeGrave To the undocumented students who had their hearts set on college who received this news like a punch to the gut I am so sorry Your pain is real Your anger is valid But please remember You are not alone You are not defined by politicians who see you only as a talking point Your dreams are still yours Your value is immeasurable Do not let this political cruelty dim your light You were invariably worthy of bliss of coaching of safety not because of a law but because of who you are No strategy no frontier no hateful rhetoric can take that away Texas made a wise funding over two decades ago when it passed HB That expenditure has paid off in the form of stronger communities a better-educated workforce and a richer civic life Dismantling that progress would not only harm immigrants it would harm Texas We are here to stay Texas is our home And we will continue to fight until its policies reflect that truth The post I Was an Undocumented Texas College Participant I m Not Going Anywhere and Neither Is Our Movement appeared first on The Texas Observer