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Students protested a small group of men Tuesday who were asking Congress to repeal an act that helps undocumented immigrants attend college.
Roughly 40 UT students gathered on the West Mall to protest anti-immigration activist Frosty Wooldridge. He and three other men were demonstrating at the busy street to show their disapproval for HB 1403, also known as the Dream Act.
HB 1403, passed in 2001 by the Texas Legislature, allows for undocumented immigrants to attend public universities at in-state tuition rates if they attended three or more years of high school in Texas. The bill also requires applicants to sign an affidavit swearing to beginning the process of acquiring permanent residency as soon as he or she is able.
The protesters, which included members of the League of United Latin American Citizens, Jovenes Inmigrantes por un Futuro Mejor and the International Socialist Organization, chanted sayings such as "Racists, go home" while Wooldridge's three supporters, one of whom belongs to the Minutemen, fielded questions, citing a need to halt an "illegal invasion," which they claim has caused job loss and lowered wages.
"We don't think it's fair to put non-U.S. citizens ahead of citizens in tuition," said Preston Wigington, one of the organizers of the demonstration. "Far in the future, if we have so many illegal immigrants and they reproduce, it'll just give more incentive to keep coming into the country."
During the most tense portion of the event, protesters got into a shouting match with Robert Reeves, an HB 1403 opponent who happened to be Hispanic.
Reeves, who is angered by a recent Senate push to ban hate speech, said he was present to stand up for First Amendment rights.
He added that the "immigrant invasion" is coming not only from Mexico, but from all over the world, and that the United States has a responsibility to pressure governments to provide incentives for people to stay in their own countries.
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