A federal judge in Texas on Wednesday blocked a two decade-old law offering undocumented residents the same discounted tuition as other in-state college students, after the Trump administration and the Texas attorney general joined together to argue the measure violated federal law.
The one-page order, signed by Judge Reed O’Connor of the Northern District of Texas, came just hours after the federal government filed suit challenging the Texas law.
Soon after, Attorney General Ken Paxton of Texas said he would not oppose the lawsuit.
Instead, his office filed a joint motion with the Justice Department asking the judge to permanently block the law.
But the decision by Mr. Paxton, a hard line conservative, to side with the Trump administration was not a shock.
A federal judge in Texas blocked a two-decade-old law that would have given undocumented residents the same reduced tuition as other in-state students on Wednesday. The Texas attorney general and the Trump administration teamed up to argue that the law was illegal.
The Northern District of Texas Judge Reed O’Connor signed the one-page order just hours after the federal government filed a lawsuit contesting the Texas law. Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general, quickly declared that he would not challenge the case. Rather, his office and the Justice Department jointly filed a motion requesting that the judge permanently block the law.
Having reached a consensus, Judge O’Connor, who was named by President George W. Bush swiftly signed the order declaring the law “invalid.”. “.”.
The governor said, “Texas no longer offers in-state tuition to illegal immigrants.”. Late Wednesday, Greg Abbott made the announcement on social media.
The lawsuit was unexpected because the state, which is dominated by Republicans, has been more than happy to work with the Trump administration on its stringent immigration enforcement policies. The case, United States of America v., was filed in the Northern District of Texas and bore a title more reminiscent of court cases involving immigration during the Biden administration. the State of Texas.
However, Mr. Paxton’s decision to support the Trump administration was not surprising given his hardline conservative views. Though Republicans in the state legislature had recently decided not to amend the law during the recently concluded legislative session, it was in line with his politics and his approach to immigration.
We appreciate your patience as we check access.
Subscribed already? Sign in.
Subscribe to get The Times in its entirety.
