Dreams Denied

The case Plyler vs. Doe was a case in which the Supreme Court of the United States struck down a state law denying funding for education to immigrant children. The court held states could not discriminate against students enrolling in K- 12 public schools based on their legal status. However, it never addressed public education beyond high school,which allowed states to create their own rules regarding undocumented students and higher education. In 2003 Washington State Legislature approved House Bill 1079 which helped make college education affordable for certain undocumented students by allowing them to pay in-state tuition.Currently 17 states allow in-state tuition rates for undocumented students. Two states still prohibit undocumented students from enrolling at any public post-secondary institution. Undocumented students should have equal opportunity to higher education because it will provide them skills to become selfsufficient, contributing more to taxes, and rely less on state resources