State forces thousands of students out of college.

Reported today in the Houston Chronicle:

“In June, state leaders did not defend the Texas DREAM Act from a federal complaint, effectively ending the 24-year-old law in a matter of hours. The landmark policy had allowed tens of thousands of Texas students without legal status to qualify for in-state tuition at public universities, including the University of Texas, the University of Houston and Texas A&M.

“Now, the loss of in-state tuition — combined with Texas’ refusal to issue new work permits under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and the fear of an intensified immigration crackdown — has created a triple threat for would-be college students.

“For a lot of students, all they're trying to do is get an education and go to college,” said Efren Olivares of the National Immigration Law Center. “Now to have it moved from under them, it’s just been really stressful.”

Photo by: Steve Gonzales, Houston Chronicle Staff Photographer