Illegal Immigrant Students Face College Quandary By EMILY
GUEVARA Thirty years ago today, the Supreme Court handed down a
ruling that ensured illegal immigrants in Texas the right to a
free public education. The ruling upheld previous court
decisions in Plyler v. Doe, a case which originated in Tyler
under then school district Superintendent Jim Plyler. The school
district sought to charge $1,000 tuition to illegal immigrant
students as a way to fund their education because the state
wouldn't. The 5-4 Supreme Court ruling struck down a Texas law
affecting K-12 education. However, it didn't touch higher
education because that's not covered. Decades later, illegal
immigrants who have gone through the state's public school
system have more opportunities in this state than others, but
post-high school prospects still are limited. Despite attempts
at getting a federal law passed to provide a path to citizenship
for these students, it has failed. "Plyler set the stage for
increasing educational attainment for immig