Recent enrollment statistics indicate that the number of illegal immigrants pursuing higher education in Texas has increased nearly ten-fold since 2001.
A study published in Inside Higher Ed showed that the number of illegal immigrants enrolled in Texas public colleges is up to 3,700 from 400 just three years ago.
Texas was the first state to pass laws allowing undocumented students to pay in-state tuition. House Bill 1403, passed in 2001, allows these students to pay Texas resident tuition rates if they meet certain qualifications.
Potential degree seekers must have resided in the state for at least three years, have earned a high school diploma and have to submit an affidavit stating that they will apply for citizenship as soon as they are eligible.
"The argument has been made that students have already gone to public high schools, so it's better in the long run if the state allows them to pay the lower tuition rate, get a degree and contribute to the economy," said Ray Grasshoff, spokesman for the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
Although the majority of students lacking legal documentation are enrolled at community colleges such as Austin Community College, a handful also attend Texas public universities.
Vasanth Srinivasa, a senior administrative associate at the Office of the Registrar, could not confirm or deny any enrollment by illegal immigrants at the University.
"If they're illegal, they shouldn't be on our campus," she said.
However, in the spring, there were more than 280 undocumented students at the University.
The line between illegal and undocumented is a fine one; for many, the words are synonymous in the legal sense, a matter of personal bias. Immigration authorities classify people living in the country without proper documentation as "illegal aliens," although some immigration rights groups, such as the Immigration Solidarity Network, prefer the term "undocumented" because the word is not as dehumanizing as the terms "illegal" or "alien." However, undocumented can also include those immigrants who may have legal authorization to be in the United States, such as those with temporary protected status and those applying to seek asylum.
Stephen Torres, a student director at the Multicultural Information Center, thinks the state needs to open its eyes to a group that is here to stay.
"We're trying to ignore this problem like it's going away, instead of trying to educate them so they can contribute to the society they've grown up in," he said. "These students have participated for most of their lives in the Texas education system, so saying you can't reward them with higher education doesn't make sense."
Torres thinks the recent increase in enrollment is a logical step on the part of lawmakers.
"It's working toward making sure we're educating the students of Texas, after the state overlooked the undocumented for so long," he said. "In the past, the funds came out of scholarships and private institutions, so allowing them to pay in-state tuition frees up money in other areas."
According to Grasshoff, there are more than 1 million students enrolled in Texas institutions of higher education, so the new illegal immigrant enrollment figures, which account for fewer than 4,000 students, are merely a drop in the bucket.
"I'm not saying it's good or bad," Grasshoff said. "I just can't make a judgment without long-term analysis. Although the enrollment rates are up, it's still a low percentage of the overall population."
Rick Oltman, western field director for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, said the measure has definite negative ramifications.
"It would appear to be part of the drumbeat for relaxing immigration laws," he said. "It's a bad policy all around; illegal aliens should not have anything subsidized by the American taxpayers."
Oltman said the tuition rates should be set after a student is eligible to apply for residency, not before.
"You shouldn't put the cart before the horse," he said. "If they get legal status first, then let's examine the issue of higher education."
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