Our Texas DREAM Act Youth and Allies are Not Done Dreaming: UT - Austin Students Deserve a Fair Process

 Rooted: Immigrant Student Liberation Collective 

rootedtx.org | Founded in 2019 by a group of students, alumni, and allies at UT Austin

Friends:

On behalf of Rooted and United We Dream leader, Julieta Garibay, the repeal of the Texas Dream Act for certain immigrant youth is moving forward. She is currently working with Barbara Hines, who many of you will recognize as former Director of the UT Immigration Clinic in the UT School of Law, as well as with the Texas Immigration Law Council, IDRA, ImmSchools, and others to respond to this moment.

We’ve created a resource hub that includes fact sheets and checklists in English and Spanish (recursos en español)

👉 https://linktr.ee/TXdreamact

She is currently supporting UT Austin students who are urgently calling for an extension on the implementation of this repeal of the Texas DREAM Act. The University of Texas at Austin is now requiring lawful status instead of lawful presence to qualify for in-state tuition, and using an outdated residency questionnaire that would wrongly disqualify students who should remain eligible. Meanwhile, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board just released an “updated affidavit” last Friday and promised further guidance—yet universities are expected to enforce changes as early as this fall.

The request is whether your organization would be willing to support these students by emailing UT officials and urging an extension? It would be very helpful to send a message to the contacts below, Cc’ing txstudentsfordei@gmail.com, and including a statement like:

"[Organization Name] supports the student-led call for an extension on implementation of the repeal."

To:

• residency@austin.utexas.edu

• admissions@austin.utexas.edu

• VPforLegal@austin.utexas.edu

• president@utexas.edu

• provost.office@utexas.edu

SAMPLE E-Mail

From: [YOUR ORGANIZATION]

TO:  <residency@austin.utexas.edu>, <admissions@austin.utexas.edu>, <VPforLegal@austin.utexas.edu>, <president@utexas.edu>, <provost.office@utexas.edu>
Cc: <txstudentsfordei@gmail.com>

SUBJECT: Urgent Request to Extend Residency Documentation Deadline to Spring 2026

Hello, we write to formally request that you extend the documentation deadline from July 24th to Spring 2026 for students to provide evidence of their legal presence. 

The facts are straightforward: UT Austin initially requested proof of "lawful status" when the actual requirement was "lawful presence." This fundamental error created confusion that persists today. Meanwhile, THECB continues to release guidance updates—the most recent came on July 18th, less than a week before the deadline. Students cannot reasonably be expected to comply with requirements that regulatory bodies are still clarifying.

The situation:

Students are calling the residency office repeatedly, receiving different information each time. This isn't because staff lack dedication—it's because the implementation timeline didn't allow for proper training and systems development. Students don’t have access to lawyers who can straighten out the legal mess that the repeal of the Texas DREAM Act has done. 

Other students need to get required documents that take weeks to obtain from government offices abroad. The current timeline makes compliance nearly impossible regardless of a student's diligence or good faith efforts.

Our ask: extend the documentation deadline to the start of Spring 2026. 

You have the authority to fix this situation. An extension to Spring 2026 acknowledges the real challenges created by the rushed initial timeline while ensuring compliance can be achieved properly. This isn't about avoiding responsibility—it's about executing responsibility well.

Students chose UT Austin because they believed in the institution's commitment to their success. That commitment is tested in moments like these, when systems fail and leaders must choose between convenience and doing right by their students – especially the most vulnerable ones. 

Our request is simple and reasonable:

Extend the deadline to Spring 2026. Give students the time they need to comply properly. Give your staff the resources to help effectively. Give the university the chance to handle this transition with the excellence that should define our institution.

We trust you will make the decision to extend the deadline, which best serves students and the university's long-term interests.

Respectfully, 

[Organization name]

Texas DREAM ACT (in-state tuition) is coming up for a hearing next Tuesday, April 22, 2025. Check out this Senate Bill 1798 Advocacy Toolkit

Friends:

When we are talking about Texas DREAMers—the progeny of former Rep. Rick Noriega and former Rep. Domingo Garcia's HB 1403 that became law in 2001—we are often talking about students who have been in the U.S. longer than they've been in Mexico, Latin America, or anywhere else. They strongly identify with Texas and the U.S. This IS their country and with some exceptions, it's all they really know. 

House Bill 1403 recognized—as I have in my own work—that many immigrant students often outperform their U.S.-born peers. Moreover, this is a common finding with other immigrant groups, newcomers to the U.S. I document this in my award-winning book, Subtractive Schooling: U.S. Youth and the Politics of Caring, a three-year study of immigrant and non-immigrant U.S.-born Mexican American Houston inner-city high school youth. 

Succinctly, I found differences in school engagement and academic achievement between immigrant Mexican and U.S.-born Mexican American students. I drew on this research when testifying in support of House Bill 1403 back in 2001. I noted that many immigrant students, who had spent three or more years in the U.S., often excelled academically and identified deeply with Texas and the U.S.

HB 1403 simply waived out-of-state tuition for these students, provided they signed an affidavit affirming their intent to regularize their status and seek citizenship which they all did.

Though this was a step forward, because legalization takes at least 15 years, even the first graduates under this policy in 2005 remain undocumented. They, along with myself, continue to advocate for the passage of the DREAM Act and by 2012, for DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, which allows certain undocumented individuals who were brought to the U.S. as children to apply for work permits and protection from deportation. DACA, too, faces an uncertain future, regrettably (Gonzales, et al., 2019).

Back to House Bill 1403. Former Governor Rick Perry supported this as a workforce development issue. I remember support also being linked to the importance of averting "wastefulness" by not allowing talented high school youth, including valedictorians and salutatorians, into higher education institutions.

Great tips, by the way below, compliments of Krystal Gomez with the Texas Immigration Law Council on how to frame your testimony and what to expect next week. There is much to celebrate about sound policy that truly invests in our youth and by doing so, in the future of our state. Let's do this again now.

-Angela Valenzuela

Advocacy Toolkit on S.B. 1798 

Background

S.B. 1798 is a bill moving through the Texas Legislature that seeks to eliminate access to in-state tuition for undocumented students in Texas. This policy change would directly impact thousands of immigrant youth and weaken Texas’s long-standing investment in education for all its residents.

This bill is scheduled for a hearing before the Senate Committee on Education (K-16) on:

Tuesday, April 22

11:00 AM

Room E1.028, Texas Capitol Extension

        

Ways to Take Action

1. Testify in Person at the Hearing- Your voice matters.

Where to Go:

Parking: Capitol Visitors Parking Garage – 1201 San Jacinto Blvd, Austin, TX

Capitol Entry: Use any public entrance. North entrance is handicap accessible.

Hearing Room: E1.028 in the Capitol Extension – Take stairs or elevator down to Level E1

How to Register to Testify:

• Connect to Capitol Wi-Fi and visit: https://swrs.senate.texas.gov/

or use a registration kiosk in the Capitol Extension.

• Register before 11 AM on April 22 to testify on S.B. 1798.

• Be prepared to wait—bills may be called out of order.

• You will be called up individually or in small groups to testify

 

2. Submit Written Testimony

If you can’t attend in person but still want your voice heard on Tuesday, you can submit written testimony opposing S.B. 1798. Written testimony can be a powerful way to share your perspective and show committee members the widespread opposition to this harmful bill.
How to Submit Written Testimony:

You must have someone deliver it in person at the Capitol on your behalf.

Prepare 13 printed copies of your testimony.

Have your representative register in person at a Capitol kiosk or online (connected to Capitol Wi-Fi) using: https://swrs.senate.texas.gov/

Your representative must deliver all 13 copies to the Committee Clerk in the hearing room:

📍 Room E1.028, Texas Capitol Extension

Tips for Written Testimony:

Include your full name, city, and any relevant affiliations (e.g., educator, student, advocate).

Make your testimony personal, clear, and concise—ideally 1–2 pages.

Start by stating: “I am writing in opposition to S.B. 1798…”

Explain how this bill would affect students, families, or your community.

✉️ If you need help finding someone to deliver your written testimony, contact Krystal Gomez at kgomez@txilc.org.

3. Call Senate Education Committee Members

Let them know you strongly oppose S.B. 1798 and support access to higher education for all Texans.

Sample Call Script:

Hello, my name is [NAME] and I am calling to urge Senator [LAST NAME] to oppose S.B. 1798. This is an incredibly harmful bill that attempts to repeal the Texas Dream Act, which grants immigrant students in Texas access to in-state tuition.

Non-resident tuition rates can be upwards of tens of thousands of dollars more than in-state tuition rates. Repealing the Texas Dream Act will undermine immigrant students' ability to afford and obtain a higher education. Immigrant students should not be denied the same opportunities as others simply because of their immigration or citizenship status.

Undocumented students across the state contribute millions to our state upon graduation and placing barriers on their access to college will only hurt our workforce, economy, and the contributions made to our local communities.

All Texas students deserve an opportunity to pursue a higher education, and we urge you to vote NO on SB 1798.

4. Send an Email

Use the sample email below or write your own!

Sample Email:

Subject: Vote NO on S.B. 1798 – Protect Texas Students

Dear Senator [Last Name],

I am writing to express my strong opposition to S.B. 1798, which seeks to repeal the Texas Dream Act and remove in-state tuition for undocumented students in Texas.

Texas was the first in the country to pass the Dream Act, and as a result we have a stronger workforce, taxbase, and economy. Each year, students who benefit from the Dream Act graduate and enter the workforce, contributing more than $461 million annually to Texas communities. By placing barriers to obtaining a higher education for students who live in our state, have graduated from Texas high schools, and are trying to access the same opportunities as their peers, our state and our communities will suffer.

No student should face additional barriers to attend college simply because of their immigration or citizenship status, especially when a majority have lived in Texas for their whole lives. Moreover, the contributions of Texas Dream Act students in school vastly surpass the amount they receive from financial aid. In 2021, students paid nearly $82 million in tuition and fees while receiving only $10.6 million in financial aid.

Our state benefits when we uplift all students and set them up for success. We encourage you to support Texas students and urge you to vote NO on S.B. 1798.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

[City, TX]

[Optional: Title/Organization]


Learn More

Bill Overview + Impact Analysis:

Review this helpful explainer by CDF-Texas: ​​ CDF-TX_In-State Tuition for TX Dream Act Students_Mar 13, 2025.pdf

Explainer on the Texas Dream Act: https://everytexan.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Texas-Dream-Act-fact-sheet-May2023.pdf

Blog post about economic impacts: https://immigrationimpact.com/2025/03/04/texas-dream-act-undocumented-students-higher-education/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Tips for Advocates

• Be respectful, clear, and personal in your messages.

• Share your connection to education, Texas, or immigrant communities.

• Use social media to spread the word! Hashtags like #TxLege, #InState4All, and #SB1798 can help amplify the message.

• Coordinate Testimony Here: SB 1798 Testimony Coordination


Sample Talking Points

Humanitarian Focus:

A Texas that hinders a child’s access to education turns its back on its values of perseverance, self-determination, and opportunity for all.

Education is a stabilizing force that keeps families together and communities strong. Stripping children of their right to learn forces families into hardship, weakens local economies, and disrupts social cohesion.

Economic Impact:

Undocumented students contribute significantly to the state’s economy. In 2021 alone, they paid $81.6 million in tuition and fees, directly supporting Texas educational institutions.

Restricting students' access to instate tuition limits their access to higher education, thus limiting their future economic opportunities and lifelong earnings.

Many industries in Texas rely on a skilled labor force. Educating undocumented students ensures they can fill crucial roles in healthcare, education, tech, and other sectors.

Educational Equity

Every child in Texas deserves the opportunity to learn, grow, and contribute to our state—regardless of where they were born. The Texas Dream Act is not just a policy; it is a promise and priority we make to Texas children and to the future of Texas.

Texas Values

Education is a shared Texas value. When we invest in all kids, we strengthen Texas for generations.

When every child gets an education, Texas wins. More educated workers mean a stronger economy, a more skilled workforce, and greater prosperity for all.

Legal Concerns

Lawful presence is a legal term of art and does not mean the same thing as lawful status.

Legal status is non-linear and ever-shifting.

A Personal Message on Why I Blog and a Word of Thanks by Angela Valenzuela, Ph.D.

A Personal Message on Why I Blog and a Word of Thanks

by

 Angela Valenzuela, Ph.D.

November 10, 2021

This blog passed the two-million-page-views mark sometime over the weekend. I take this to mean that I am providing an important service that clearly, the public wants and appreciates. I want to thank all of you who follow this blog for your interest in what is today a respectable digital archive on issues that I have followed over the years, including high-stakes testing, civil and human rights, voting rights, Ethnic Studies, Indigeneity, bilingual education, and an array of social, cultural, and environmental issues that get my attention.

Prior to running this blog, I had a listserv for seven years. A former colleague, Dr. Susan Empson, who teaches now at the University of Missouri said to me one day in 2003, "You should consider having a blog." Back then, the Cloud didn't exist and was thusly always in need of space to house items that I had been gathering over the many years of operating the listserv. A blog was the solution. Here is a brief history on blogging that situates this blog in the early period of "Mommy blogs" and live blogging just before YouTube got launched. Can we even imagine a world without either Youtube or the Internet?

Pardon the cliché, but I sensed this as a "brave new world." 

What did it mean for someone like myself, a university professor, to blog? There's something curiously safe when producing knowledge for narrow audiences. It's yet another to "put yourself out there" for the world to see.  Moreover, I wasn't sure at the time how it would impact my career, especially since I didn't progress to full professor until a year later in 2005. 

Might I jeopardize my chances for promotion to full professor status? I asked myself. After blogging for a few years, I remember a former university provost friending me on Twitter  (where all my blogs get posted) four months prior to his taking the position. He couldn't have known me from Adam. Was I on some list? I suppose so. I ran into him months later and he said, "I follow you," in a friendly voice. "I follow you, too," I said, exchanging smiles.

There were clearly some bumps in the road but all in all, my blogging experience has been very positive. I do encourage those around me like students and fellow faculty to set up their own blogs and cultivate their own public voices. After all, as we know now, independent authoritative voices contribute to the maintenance and deepening of our democracy. We all not only want good information and knowledge, we also want it to come from a studied standpoint and a trustworthy place. Moreover, authenticity in the blogosphere, I have learned, is gold.

So much pulls at everyone's attention such that I have come to see how blogs can occupy a special place in social media by anchoring progressive policy agendas like the important fight today against extremism, the ongoing struggles for Bilingual Education, culturally sustaining curriculum, Ethnic Studies, school finance, and the never-ending fight against not assessment, but high-stakes testing, and other public policy battles at local, state, and national levels.

Still, the question of why I blog, especially in light of my earlier insecurities about my own voice in the public sphere merits further elaboration. 

I remember that what was happening in the early 2000s when the idea of blogging first entered my imagination, the immigrant rights DREAMer Movement of which I was, and have been a part, was in full swing. I witnessed all these young, fearless Millennials using the full measure of their tech-savviness and political astuteness in messaging to push their federal DREAM Act agenda out into the public sphere. 

By any measure, the DREAMers were hugely successful in what we in policy term, "agenda setting." They were brilliant and motivated. They achieved national and international notoriety, resulting in the Federal DREAM Act. And that's a big deal.

They motivated and inspired me to similarly be courageous. After all, I am privileged to be a researcher and scholar at the University of Texas and relative to these students and the many risks they took and continue to take, I had little to lose and much to gain. 

I owe it to people like Montserrat and her sister, Julieta Garibay, and all the DREAMers I've come across over the years who are a testament to what can get accomplished if we get in front of an issue as opposed to cowering behind it. So, I ventured forth and here you have it, a 17-year-old blog. 

I owe so much, as well, to my undergraduate, masters and doctoral students over the years, whose energies and passions have nourished within me an ongoing sense of renewal. My family, too, had their own questions about all this in the early years and thankfully, have supported my incessant blogging throughout.

In Greek, my name means "messenger." It certainly aligns. It's that pull, and occasional yank. It's that push, if not an impulse, that whisper in the ear, that impels thought and action. What also aligns is that today, 16 years ago, my beautiful mother and best friend passed away. I love you, Mom! ❤️

For those of you who would like to know a little bit more about me, I share below a bio, versions of which I make available when asked. Again, thank you for your interest in this blog and in our collective struggle for justice and a better world that simultaneously harnesses Earth's power to heal herself and affirms the notion of a shared humanity.

-Angela Valenzuela, Ph.D.

#UndocumentedAndUnafraid

***

Angela Valenzuela, Ph.D.

Biography

Angela Valenzuela, Ph.D., is a Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy with a courtesy appointment in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction at the University of Texas at Austin. She is the director of the Texas Center for Education Policy. Previously, she taught in the Department of Sociology at Rice University in Houston (1990-98), and she was a Visiting Scholar at the Center for Mexican American Studies at the University of Houston (1998-99). She completed her Ph.D. at Stanford University and is the author of the award-winning book, Subtractive Schooling: U.S.-Mexican Youth and the Politics of Caring (1999), as well as Leaving Children Behind: How “Texas-style” Accountability Fails Latino Youth (2005), and Growing Critically Conscious Teachers: A Social Justice Curriculum for Educators of Latino/a Youth (2016).

Dr. Valenzuela served as an expert witness on curriculum in Arce, et. al. v. Douglas,793 F. 3rd 968 (2015) where Mexican American Studies plaintiffs prevailed and the dismantling of Tucson Unified School District’s MAS program was found unconstitutional both in enactment and enforcement by Judge A. Wallace Tashima. 269 F. Supp. 948 (D. Ariz. 2017), citing violations to the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and the First Amendment.

Locally, Dr. Valenzuela co-founded Academia Cuauhtli, a language and cultural revitalization project that is currently in its eighth year of operation. This work has involved the development of a professional, Spanish and English, culturally sustaining curriculum and pedagogy for fourth- and fifth-graders attending eight East Austin schools. We host professional development workshops for Austin Independent School District dual language/bilingual education teachers. Over the years, we have enjoyed the service of hundreds of volunteers, including graduate students and faculty from the University of Texas at Austin, Texas State University and Houston-Tillotson University. A special feature is a danza Mexica (Aztec dance or ceremonial) curriculum that inspires our youth even as it invokes a deep, joyous sense of the sacred in education.

Currently, Dr. Valenzuela co-chairs with Dr. Theresa Montaño the LULAC National Higher Education Committee and is the Executive Director of the National Latina/o Education Research and Policy Project (NLERAPP), a consortium of ten member institutions that enhances teaching for high school youth in Texas, California, Wisconsin, Chicago, New York, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona. She also founded and operates an education blog titled, Educational Equity, Politics, and Policy in Texas.

A previous Fulbright Scholar, Valenzuela spent her 2007-08 academic year in Mexico where she taught in the College of Law at the University of Guanajuato in Guanajuato, Guanajuato and conducted research in the areas of immigration, human rights, and binational relations. Most recently, she was honored to have been selected to be a scholar in residence in the School of Education at the University of Colorado at Boulder. In 2019, she received the Henry H. Trueba Award for Research Leading to the Transformation of the Social Contexts of Education from the American Educational Research Association.

In 2020, she was winner of the 2021 Elizabeth G. Cohen Distinguished Career in Applied Sociology of Education Award. This award is presented every other year by the Sociology of Education special interest group of the American Educational Research Association "in recognition of a research career that is an exemplar of how to successfully bring rigorous research to bear on solutions to problems in practical settings." 

Dr. Valenzuela is particularly proud of recent recognition in the community, including earning the La Campana Award by the Mexican American School Board Association, as well as the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center in Austin, Texas. This week of November 10-12, Dr. Valenzuela also celebrates getting inducted into the 2021 cohort of the National Academy of Education. 

Valenzuela's research and teaching interests are in the sociology of education, minority youth in schools, urban education reform, culturally relevant curriculum, Ethnic Studies, and Indigenous education, as well as educational policy studies and analysis. 

You can find many of my published articles in Google Scholar, Academia.edu, and ResearchGate.net

Twitter: @vlnzl

House Resolution 1468—Recognizing American Children's Act

Thanks to Bernardo Eureste for sharing. You may link directly to this Congressional House Resolution that would benefit certain Dreamers here.

-Angela

H.R. 1468 - Recognizing American Children's Act

Editor's Brief: The bill, H.R. 1468 - Recognizing American Children's Act,  was introduced in the House by Congressman Curbelo and 10 other Republicans.  The proposed legislation would grant Conditional Legal Permanent Residence (CLPR) to certain Dreamers for a 5 year period, after which they could file to remove the "condition" and be granted full Legal Permanent Residence.  They apply for Citizenship after . Application would be open to Dreamers who entered the U.S. before January 1, 2012 and was under the age of 16 upon entry.  The basic requirement to be eligible to apply is have attained a high school diploma or a GED or is enrolled in an institution of higher learning or a been granted and is a holder of a employment authorization document (EAD), the card that most Dreamers possess.  The applicant must be of good moral character and not be inadmissible under 8 USC 1182 (a) (1), (2), (3), (4), (6)(E), (8), (10) (A), (10) (C) and (10) (D) or inadmissible on grounds under 8 USC 1227(a) (1)(E), (1)(G), (2), (4), (5) or (6).  To understand what these prohibitions are about, Google 8 USC 1182 (a) or 8 USC 1227.  The applicant must not have been convicted of a federal or state crime where the penalty is more than one year or been adjudicated for said crimes for a combination of time served is more than one year.  Certain persons who are still in country lawfully after being ordered to deport or excluded.  Waivers for humanitarian or family unity basis might form a relief for applicants in deportation/exclusion proceedings.  If you have been approved for DACA, you should be good to go.  Male applicants must register as per the for the Selective Service Act.  The CLPR shall be issued for a 5 year term and renewable for another 5 years.  The holder of a CLPR shall be eligible to apply for LPR after the first 5 year period.  A CLPR status person may enlist in the military.  The conditions for retaining the CLPR status is continuous enrollment in college or continuous employment.  The wait time for LPR wait to become a US citizen will follow current immigration law.  The Act treats military enlistees with certain deference as to wait times as a CLPR to become a LPR and to apply for citizenship.

BILLS-115hr1468ih.pdf

83% Of America's Top High School Science Students Are The Children Of Immigrants

Happy to come across this story in Forbes that imparts an important, if inconvenient truth to some, about immigrant achievement in the U.S.  My guess is that those most in opposition are themselves the progeny of immigrants.  In any case, here's what author Stuart Anderson says in this regard:

The evidence indicates that the children of immigrants are increasing their influence on science in America. Sixty percent (24 of 40) of the finalists of the 2004 Intel Science Talent Search had at least one immigrant parent. In 2011, that proportion rose to 70% (28 of 40) who had at least one immigrant. And in 2016, the number rose again to 83% (33 of 40) of the finalists of the Intel Science Talent Search who had at least one immigrant parent.

Eye-popping, right?  (Continue to Anderson piece below.) 

Although the story of immigrant achievement is more complex than I can possibly do justice to in this brief commentary (for more, read my book Subtractive Schooling), research on immigrant achievement has consistently shown higher levels of achievement among our immigrant population relative to our U.S.-born youth.  As already suggested, there are caveats...

Despite these, research by my former student, Laurie Pierce, working with former Texas State Rep. Rick Noriega in 2000 showed that a very high percentage—I want to say at least 45 percent—of high school valedictorians that year in the Houston Independent School District (HISD) were immigrant youth.  For Texas legislators in that era with Rick Perry as governor, it seemed wasteful not to give these youth a chance by waiving their out-of-state tuition dollars.  After all, they had contributed positively to K12 education and it wasn't their fault that they found themselves in the U.S. Many of them didn't even know they were undocumented until they made that sad discovery in high school that having to pay out-of-state tuition as a "foreigner" was their only option if they had hopes of going to college.  And many of them did.
Plus, these young people were already living in the U.S. for an extended time period and it seemed the right thing to do.  Here are the qualifications:

To qualify in Texas, students must live in the state at least three years continuously before graduating from high school or receiving the equivalent of a diploma. Students who are not citizens or permanent residents of the United States must declare an intention to seek legal resident status as soon as they are eligible.

Years of advocacy by MALDEF,  LULAC, and other groups together with research that Laurie and I did contributed to the development and passage in 2001 of HB1403, Texas' in-state tuition bill, sometimes referred to as the "Texas Dream Act." 

Texas, was the first state to pass this and was followed that same year in 2001 by California's AB 540, with other states adoting it as law, as well.  Today, most folks recognize this as the federal DREAM Act. 

At the moment, there is a bill in the Texas House, HB 393, authored by a Texas legislator named Strickland to repeal the 2001 law but thankfully, House Speaker Joe Straus isn't hearing it as he deems the policy to be “perfectly acceptable,” according to the San Antonio Express-News. 

Not only is it "perfectly acceptable," but is in fact demonstrably important to our future as a society and economy as this piece indicates, as well as more recent research in 2015 by Ann Beeson of the Center for Public Policy Priorities.  Not only are immigrants poised to thrive with good policies like HB 1403 and the DREAM Act, but our state and nation, too.

Angela Valenzuela

c/s

83% Of America's Top High School Science Students Are The Children Of Immigrants

 Stuart Anderson, Contributor

I write about globalization, business, technology and immigration. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.

(Linda Doane/Society for Science & the Public)

Amol Punjabi won the First Place Medal of Distinction for Basic Research at America's top competition for high school science students in 2016.

 

What would we lose if immigrants could no longer come to America? Surprisingly, one of the most important things America would lose is the contributions made by their children.

A new study from the National Foundation for American Policy found a remarkable 83% (33 of 40) of the finalists of the 2016 Intel Science Talent Search were the children of immigrants. The competition organized each year by the Society for Science & the Public is the leading science competition for U.S. high school students. In 2017, the talent search competition was renamed the Regeneron Science Talent Search, after its new sponsor Regeneron Pharmaceuticals,and a new group of 40 finalists – America's next generation of scientists, engineers and mathematicians – are competing in Washington, D.C., from March 9 to 15, 2017.

Both family-based and employment-based immigrants were parents of finalists in 2016. In fact, 75% – 30 out of 40 – of the finalists had parents who worked in America on H-1B visas and later became green card holders and U.S. citizens. That compares to seven children who had both parents born in the United States.

To put that in perspective, even though former H-1B visa holders represent less than 1% of the U.S. population, they were four times more likely to have a child as a finalist in the 2016 Intel Science Talent Search than were parents who were both born in the United States.

Parents who were international students were more likely to have a child as a finalist than native-born parents. A total of 27 of the 40 children – 68% – had a parent who came to America as an international student. That means if international students cannot remain in America after graduation (through Optional Practical Training and improved visa policies) it will also deprive America of the potentially substantial contributions of their children.

Three of the finalists, or 7.5%, had parents who came to America as family-sponsored immigrants (although the number is four parents, or 10%, if one counts the family-sponsored immigrant who married an H-1B visa holder).

Among the 40 finalists of the 2016 Intel Science Talent Search, 14 had parents both born in India, 11 had parents both born in China, and seven had parents both born in the United States. People of Indian and Chinese birth represent only about 1% of the U.S. population each, according to the Pew Research Center.

In addition to China, India and the United States, the countries of origin for the parents of 2016 Intel Science Talent Search finalists represent a diverse set of countries, including Canada, Cyprus, Iran, Japan, Nigeria, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan.

The evidence indicates that the children of immigrants are increasing their influence on science in America. Sixty percent (24 of 40) of the finalists of the 2004 Intel Science Talent Search had at least one immigrant parent. In 2011, that proportion rose to 70% (28 of 40) who had at least one immigrant. And in 2016, the number rose again to 83% (33 of 40) of the finalists of the Intel Science Talent Search who had at least one immigrant parent.

The science competition has been called the “Junior Nobel Prize” and more than 95% of winners of the Intel Science Talent Search (STS) traditionally have pursued science as a career, with 70% earning Ph.D.’s or M.D.’s. Many of the students I interviewed hope to start their own companies.

In 2016, seven of the nine top awards were earned by the children of immigrants, including first place prizes for innovation and basic research. Amol Punjabi won the First Place Medal of Distinction for Basic Research for developing software that could be used by pharmaceutical companies to combat cancer and heart disease.

The children of immigrants among the finalists I interviewed understood the sacrifices their parents made to ensure them a better life. And, it is important to remember, all of these children, whether born here or naturalized, are as American as you and me.

Augusta Uwamanzu-Nna appreciates all her Nigerian-born parents have done to give her the best education possible. “They sacrificed so much for me,” said Augusta, who experimented with ways to improve the properties of cement, which has practical applications that include helping to prevent oil spills. “My father grew up during the civil war in Nigeria and couldn’t afford an education.”

Despite the obstacles, Augusta’s father, Tobias Nna, overcame the odds and was trained as a physical therapist. He came to the United States on an H-1B visa. “Our goal in coming to America was to provide an opportunity for our children to study, have access to journals and computers,” Tobias Nna told me. “I’m very happy they have taken advantage of these opportunities.”

“Seeing what my parents did to make a better life for their children has inspired me to do everything I can to succeed,” said Augusta. “This is the land of opportunity.”

Stuart Anderson ,  

Contributor

Announcement: Dr. Ed Rincon's blog on The Culture of Research

I highly recommend subscribing to researcher Dr. Ed Rincón's blog, The Culture of Research, who also authored this post (see  below).  Here is the title and description:

The Culture of Research™

This blog is a forum for discussing multicultural research trends as well as the many problems that bias research studies of culturally-diverse groups like Hispanics, African-Americans and Asians. Research issues, studies, books, white papers and other sources of information will be discussed with the goal of improving the quality of multicultural studies and the decisions that follow from such studies.

Not just in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, but every place around the country where Latinos are concentrated need to be thinking about cultivating the next generation of leaders.  In this vein, Dr. Rincón suggests a kind of literacy that doesn't often come to mind with respect to the general population, including being able through language, culture, and a sense of and knowledge of roots and heritage as key to their development.

What I see is that a lot of this kind of leadership has come directly out of the millennial student DREAM Act movement.  The lead organization at UT is the University Leadership Initiative (ULI).  As a whole, ULI youth either already possess or quickly acquire the multicultural and linguistic literacies to organize constituencies, knowledge of civil rights and civil rights initiatives and history, directly address policy and politics, and navigate social media, as expressed on their website:

University Leadership Initiative (ULI) harnesses the talents, abilities and determination of youth -particularly college students- to affect long-term change in a proactive manner. Specially, ULI conducts outreach at the local, state, and national level to address the dilemma faced by young people who were brought to the United States years ago as undocumented immigrant children, but who have since grown up in the United States, have stayed out of trouble, and wish to continue their education on to college.

A good number of them have matured in the movement and gone on to other arenas of policies beyond immigration like education, and the social and natural sciences.  The leadership is largely comprised of first- and second-generation students and they represent a beacon of hope for our nation.

Our third- and later-generation youth also need to get targeted.  They may feel greater affinity toward our traditional civil rights organizations like LULAC, TABE, TACHE, or other significant grassroots, local- or state-level organizations, associations, and initiatives.

Perhaps folks don't recognize that research itself has a culture is Dr. Rincon's blog points out.  This is very good to know and is something addressed across so many of his writings like culturally relevant survey research.  It matters how questions get asked and what knowledge base about Latinos this research presupposes and marshals.

I very much respect Dr. Rincón's continuing efforts (and now through his blog) to link multicultural research trends to leadership, critical literacies, and community engagement and how to simultaneously optimize these.

Angela Valenzuela

Latino Leadership Development in Dallas: Some Room for Optimism

Much to their credit, Dallas-area academic, business and civic members have embarked upon an ambitious effort to expand the number of Latino leaders that serve this community. Two of these programs reside at Southern Methodist University with similar goals in mind. Part of the rationale for these programs comes from national studies by the Pew Research Center (2013) which showed that two-thirds of Latinos did not know, when asked, who they believed was the most important Hispanic leader in the U.S.; moreover, three-quarters of Latinos believed that a national Hispanic leader was needed to advance the concerns of the U.S. Hispanic community. This national alarm bell, coupled with dismal Latino participation at the local levels, appeared to describe a leadership vacuum in the Latino community that needed some type of intervention.

Latinos, of course, are not leaderless. U.S. Latinos have a long history as inventors, scientists, medical experts, military heroes, news columnists, entertainers, and politicians --- they are just not very visible because mainstream media sources choose to overlook their achievements except during cultural holidays.  If the story does not involve crime, immigration, under-achievement or poverty, the likelihood of inclusion in mainstream media diminishes even more rapidly.  

For example, anyone who has lived in the Dallas community for a number of years would have little difficulty in recognizing Latinos that have been on the frontlines of many Latino-related issues. Such names as Adelfa Callejo, Hector Flores, Nina Vaca, Rene Martinez, Domingo Garcia, Marcos Ronquillo, Rafael Anchia, Roberto Alonzo, Tom Lazo, Beatrice Martinez, and Edwin Flores are well-known among Dallas-area Latinos and non-Latinos for their past advocacy efforts related to Latino education, healthcare, immigration, voting rights, business development and other areas.  Media reports may label Latinos as “leaders,” “advocates,” or “activists” – depending on the spin desired by media decision makers. Nonetheless, their role in shaping the quality of life for Latinos is undeniable.

As the traditional pool of “leaders” or “advocates” diminishes, it is clear that new blood is needed to address the many decisions that will influence the quality of life for Latinos in the future. The need for new blood is especially important in communities like Dallas/Fort Worth that are experiencing rapid population growth and need decision-makers with new ideas to address the challenges brought by this growth. In this light, Latino leadership programs have assumed a great responsibility and deserve as much support as possible.   

To that end, following are some questions or discussion points that came to mind as I was envisioning the types of skills that these graduates may need to carry the leadership torch into the future:

What knowledge will these graduates have of Latinos that reside in the U.S. and local communities?  For example, a test of knowledge of Latino culture in the U.S. was recently completed by a non-random sample of 400 Latinos and non-Latinos that represented college students and marketing professionals from the private sector.  The test results revealed that both Latinos and non-Latinos had limited knowledge regarding some basic facts about U.S. Latinos. Interestingly, the results also revealed that Latinos did not score much better than non-Latinos on this test. While not a scientific study, the study results suggest that more effort should be devoted towards expanding knowledge about the Latino population – whether at academic institutions or other training vehicles. Moreover, as Latinos continue to assimilate linguistically and culturally, they may also need a refresher course on important elements of the Latino culture.

What position will graduates take on issues that especially impact Latinos?  The position that a leadership graduate takes on key issues like gun control, abortion, criminal justice, voting rights, racial profiling, the environment, public procurement, and immigration will likely define their appeal in Latino and non-Latino communities. Are graduates being trained to avoid a position on controversial issues or will they be taught how to argue persuasively on behalf of Latino constituents?

Are your public speaking skills ready to be tested?  General public speaking skills are undoubtedly a valued asset; however, Latino leaders will be expected on occasion to address both English and Spanish-speaking audiences.  Since the vast majority of U.S. Latinos do not study Spanish formally, it might be a good idea to encourage our future leaders to brush up on their public speaking skills in both languages.

Will graduates be trained to feel comfortable in using the results of research studies?  In one presentation to a city council regarding the results of a citizen satisfaction survey, a councilman opined:  “If I want to know what people in my community think, I will just talk to them.”  Apparently, the councilman did not understand the bias associated with his recommendation in gathering public opinion. Scientific research can provide valuable insights that supplement one’s perspectives and should be part of the training curriculum for these graduates.

Will non-Latinos be provided the opportunity to develop their leadership skills if their jobs or political aspirations include Latino communities?   It seems like a good investment.  There are already enough non-Latinos in leadership positions that lack knowledge and experience with Latino communities. With our increasingly segregated society, the leadership course may provide the right amount of knowledge and perspective needed by non-Latinos who aspire to become advocates for Latino communities.

Will graduates understand how to utilize the power of the media which has the potential to define their reputation and standing in the minds of Latino and non-Latino audiences?  Markets like Dallas/Fort Worth provide a multitude of communications vehicles to reach diverse audiences, and often conduct public opinion polls to monitor key issues or political campaigns. In such an environment, Latinos who aspire to become visible advocates or “leaders” must understand how to fashion their messages correctly, how the journalism world operates, and the audiences that are served by different communications vehicles.

Lastly, will the collective wisdom of past Latino leaders be used as a bridge to the future for the newly trained leaders? It would be a mistake, in my opinion, to believe that “leadership skills” have little or no connection to the past. Past Latino leaders could be helpful in identifying significant people, organizations or historical events that have proved helpful in past Latino initiatives, as well as those that have been less helpful. The new leadership graduates will no doubt have many new ideas of their own, but history should help them avoid repeating the mistakes of the past.

Only time will tell us about the long-term benefits of these Latino leadership initiatives.  If they are successful, Latinos will be in a better position to shape their own destiny and become a more visible partner in key decisions that affect their quality of life.