“We shouldn’t fear that we’ll be targeted for who we are, especially on campus,” said Brisa Lopez, when referring to a legal ruling that targets undocumented college students in Oklahoma.
Lopez is a first-generation college student at Southern Nazarene University in Bethany. Lopez is a citizen, but she says that hasn’t stopped recent changes from affecting her community and those close to her.
“Sometimes the diversity students like me bring is recognized and utilized by schools, so to think this is the support those students get in return, it isn’t great,” Lopez said.
A federal judge has ruled that a state law permitting undocumented college students to receive in-state tuition rates is unconstitutional, leaving hundreds of Oklahoma students to pay higher costs or withdraw from courses.
As universities across the state notify students of the change, many are questioning the motivation behind the action.
Policy changes like this come with an increased presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in the state. Lopez spoke to the anxiety this has caused among her peers.
“People are afraid for themselves and their family,” Lopez said. “It’s hard to imagine this is about making anyone feel safer and not just making us feel scared.”
Students at the University of Oklahoma have reportedly received emails from the bursar’s office explaining that if they cannot afford the increased rate, their options are to provide documentation of lawful presence or withdraw from their courses.
Diana Charqueno, a student at OU, has seen the consequences of this ruling firsthand, with one of her friends being forced to pause her studies due to financial strain.
“Her family barely had the means to pay the original amount when she was paying for in-state tuition,” Charqueno said. “So it’s just baffling to hear that people can be here for so long, but because they weren’t born here, they don’t get the benefits of in-state tuition.”
Despite legal setbacks, Charqueno said students have only come closer as a community, and while doing their best to keep spirits high, feelings of disappointment over the ruling can’t be ignored.
“Education is almost the last thing we have to be able to prosper and to be able to get ahead in this country, and they’re trying to make it harder to access,” Charqueno said. “They want us to have nothing.”
This policy change is expected to affect approximately 400 students in Oklahoma, with major universities stating their commitment to complying with federal law.
Katie McCune, an Oklahoma City attorney, warned that the ruling could carry broader implications for state-level immigration policies.
“Judicial enforcement of federal supremacy in this case may deter states from offering localized protections of benefits to undocumented people,” McCune said.
This kind of action has left many immigrants across the state feeling helpless, but students like Lopez and Charqueno want their message heard regardless of uncertainty.
“They are not only ruining the dreams of the people that are trying to get an education or just trying to get ahead in this country that does not want them, that does not think that they belong,” Charqueno said. “They are taking the dreams of the people that came before them that struggled to bring themselves and their kids here for a better life, just to get slapped in the face again.”
“I know it’s a difficult time for many people, but we’re here for a reason,” Lopez said. “I’m going to continue supporting my peers and my community, and I hope that others will too.”
Gaylord News is a reporting project of the University of Oklahoma Gaylordd College of Journalism and Mass Communication. For more stories by Gaylord News go to GaylordNews.net.
