WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Wednesday night, a federal court approved a consent judgment ending a longstanding bipartisan initiative known as the “Texas Dream Act” that allowed undocumented students in Texas access to in-state tuition.
The court’s action came hours after the U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit challenging the law and the Texas Attorney General declined to defend it. The lawsuit was filed days after the Texas legislature ended its 2025 session without moving forward on proposed legislation to end in-state tuition for undocumented students. The settlement was approved before supporters of in-state tuition could respond.
“The abrupt end of this law will devastate thousands of Texas students currently in higher education, it will hurt the Texas economy and will drive talent away from the state,” said Jennie Murray, President and CEO of the National Immigration Forum. “For over two decades, the Texas Dream Act reflected the support that both sides of the aisle have shown to young undocumented immigrants in Texas.”
For more details on the end of in-state tuition for undocumented students in Texas, check out the Forum’s explainer.