'He doesn’t really see undocumented students as people,' says University of Houston Sophomore
HOUSTON - Undocumented college students speak with FOX 26 after a recent comment was made by Governor Greg Abbott. That comment was the governor wants to start banning unauthorized immigrants from Texas public schools.
"Long ago Texas already sued the government about having to incur the cost of the education program," said Abbott. "I think we will resurrect that case and challenge this issue again because the expenses are extraordinary."
The governor did not go into detail, but said he plans on trying to restore Plyler v. Doe, a 1982 Supreme Court decision.
At the time, Texas had statute denying funding for education to undocumented immigrant children in the U.S.
"It was intended to set the precedent that education was a human right, available to everybody," said Cesar Espinosa, Executive Director of FIEL. "I myself was an undocumented student in HISD. Fortunately in 2012, I was able to get DACA."
The governor saying during the interview, undocumented students are costing the state too much.
"He is talking about the economic impact, but he’s failing to see the positive economic impacts immigrants make."
Yolanda Batz and Angel Rodriguez, both sophomores at the University of Houston, say they're disappointed. They say they’ll continue to focus on school while bearing the weight as undocumented students.
"At the end of the day, denying a child their education is just completely wrong," said Batz. "I know that undocumented immigrants can contribute so much to society, and we are a big part of Texas."