Texas Schools Grow Larger, Poorer: Hispanics became the majority of students in Texas public schools for the first time in 2011 and their numbers are expected to grow without any financial support to accommodate for it, the Texas Tribune reports. For the first time since the public schools system was modernized in 1949, the state legislature opted not to finance enrollment growth, a sign that the state’s schools will only grow poorer as the student population is expected to rise to 9 million in 2050.
Judge Upholds Arizona’s “Show Me Papers” Rule: Arizona can continue to enforce a provision within its strict immigration law that requires police officers, while enforcing other laws, to check the immigration status of those they suspect are in the country illegally, according to a ruling by a federal judge Wednesday. The federal judge cited the Supreme Court’s decision on SB-1070 that found the court cannot rule on a law before it takes effect, but left open the possibility of the law being challenged for its constitutionality in the future, the Associated Press reports.
Judge Hands Ruling in Florida Immigration Tuition Case: Native-born students from Florida public universities and colleges cannot be charged higher tuition rates simply because their parents are undocumented, a federal judge ruled this week. Charging out-of-state tuition, which is often three times more than the in-state rate, is a violation of the native-born students’ constitutional rights because they are still U.S. citizens regardless of their parents’ status, the Huffington Post reports.
Illegal Immigrant Addresses Convention: A Dream Act activist made history Wednesday as the first illegal immigrant to ever address the Democratic National Convention, the Los Angeles Times reports. Benita Veliz, 27, was brought to the U.S. as a child and has since gone on to graduate from college with a double degree. Veliz, who is now a champion for immigration reform, was spared from deportation after a routine traffic stop by President Obama’s executive order made in June.
How Demographics Turned Virginia into a Battleground: President Obama’s victory in Virginia as part of the wave that swept him into office in 2008 was no small feat--it was the first Democratic victory since 1964 and a sign of the political clout that the growing minority population holds in the southern state, Bloomberg reports.
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