The Texas Senate is again trying to take down one of former Gov. Rick Perry’s signature accomplishments.  Yes, the Legislature is trying for the third or fourth time to undo a statute which provides in-state tuition to some undocumented students who were brought here as children.  Remarkably, Texas was the first in the nation to pass such a law, but that was in 2001 before the Tea Party all but took over the Texas GOP.

Sen. Donna Campbell (TP-New Braunfels) has introduced a bill that require Texas colleges to charge undocumented students only out-of-state tuition.  This would double the cost of a college degree for some of the poorest students.  Campbell and her supporters claim that Texas needs to focus on giving college privileges to American citizens only and that this is about fairness.  What this is about, however, is playing to the hard core anti-immigrant base of the Republican primary electorate who live in abject terror of the day when Latinos are in the majority in Texas.  So rather than help educate these kids who did not come to Texas of their own volition, the Tea Party will place every obstacle in the way of a better life for them.  Sadly, this is exactly what the base and leaders of the Texas GOP want. Campbell’s proposal is a major legislative goal for the Senate’s tea party-backed members. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick made it a campaign promise in 2014 to repeal the law.  In a rare act of political courage, Perry has said recently he still supports the law.