For Immediate Release: April 28, 2025
Contact: Fermin Vasquez at [email protected] or Kenia Guerrero at [email protected]
TheDream.US and Presidents’ Alliance React to New Executive Order Language Targeting Dreamers’ In-State Tuition Access
Washington, DC – An executive order issued today by the White House includes language to “stop the enforcement” of state policies that favor “aliens over any groups of American citizens,” including “in-state tuition” for Dreamers. The following are reactions from The Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, composed of 580+ college and university presidents and chancellors of public and private colleges and universities, and TheDream.US, the nation’s largest college and career success program for Dreamers.
Monica Andrade, an attorney and Director of State Policy and Legal Strategy at the Presidents’ Alliance, noted:
“States have long had the authority to set in-state tuition policies that recognize the deep ties of immigrant students to their communities. Efforts to penalize states for expanding access to higher education are misguided and harmful, undermining individual aspirations and weakening the economic future of our states and nation. For decades, states have had the clear authority to establish criteria for purposes of in-state tuition. In line with this authority, many states have passed laws that permit students, including undocumented students who have graduated from state high schools, to access in-state tuition rates. These laws recognize the deep ties these students have to their states and communities, and the critical importance of postsecondary education to workforce development and civic participation.”
Gaby Pacheco, President and CEO of TheDream.US, stated:
“Together with our Partner Colleges and allies, we are carefully reviewing the Executive Order and its implications. Yet we also encourage everyone supportive of Dreamers to take a deep breath and not panic. Just because there is talk of going after states that support Dreamers’ higher education access doesn’t mean such actions are legal, feasible, or inevitable. Yet while we review this specific language and chart potential next steps, we already know a few things with absolute confidence.
First, efforts to pit Dreamers against American citizens will not work. The fact is, Dreamers are Americans in all but their paperwork. The average TheDream.US Scholar arrived in the U.S. at just four years old. Dreamers have grown up here, sat next to U.S. citizens in classrooms, played on the same sports teams, and are deeply woven into the fabric of their communities. Americans know better — and they know Dreamers are part of us. Unlike their U.S.-born classmates, Dreamers cannot access federal financial aid. In-state tuition is often the only way they can afford to pursue their education and fulfill their potential. Denying Dreamers access to in-state tuition would slam the door on their futures — and on the contributions they are already making to America.
Second, policies that block Dreamers from affordable college opportunities are harmful — not just to Dreamers, but to entire communities and to America’s economy, workforce, and future. TheDream.US has supported over 11,000 Dreamer Scholars over the past 10 years, as our recent 10-year impact report details. Their stories and successes, in college and beyond, make it clear: denying Dreamers higher education and career opportunities would be both cruel and self-defeating for this country.
As President Trump himself said last December, ‘We have to do something about Dreamers… Some of them are running small businesses. They have great jobs. They’ve become successful.’ Actions like this Executive Order move us further away from real solutions — and further away from honoring the success stories Dreamers have already written into America’s story.”
About The Presidents’ Alliance and TheDream.US
The nonpartisan, nonprofit Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration brings college and university presidents and chancellors together on the immigration issues that impact higher education, our students, campuses, communities and nation. We work to support undocumented, international and refugee students, and advance forward-looking immigration policies and practices at the federal level, in our states, and across our college campuses. The Alliance is composed of 580+ college and university presidents and chancellors of public and private colleges and universities, enrolling over five million students in 42 states, D.C., and Puerto Rico. Visit the state policy page of the Higher Ed Immigration Portal.
TheDream.US is the nation’s largest college and career success program for undocumented immigrant students, having provided more than 11,000 college scholarships to Dreamers attending close to 80 partner colleges in 20 states and Washington, DC. We believe everyone, regardless of where they were born, should have equitable access to a college education, a meaningful career, and opportunities to contribute to the communities they call home. For more information on TheDream.US, visit www.thedream.us.
Read TheDream.US 10-year impact report: “From Dreams to Destinations: A Decade of Immigrant Achievements and the Future Ahead.” Filled with never-released data and snapshot profiles of some of the organization’s 4,000-plus Alumni, the report documents how increased access to higher education and career opportunities catalyze social mobility and positive outcomes for individual Dreamers, as well as their families, workplaces, and broader communities.
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