Latest news with #MexicanAmericanLegalDefenseandEducationFund
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Nonprofit fights back after Texas ends in-state tuition for undocumented students
Texas ended in-state tuition for students without legal documentation last week in a quick concession to a Trump administration's lawsuit, but now a San Antonio-based civil rights group has taken the first step to legally restore the 2001 law. The Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund filed a motion Wednesday to challenge a judge's decision to enjoin the state from enforcing the Texas Dreamers Act, a 2001 law authorizing in-state tuition for eligible residents. The federal government sued June 4 alleging that the 2001 act violated federal law that prevents students without legal status from accessing special benefits unavailable to citizens. Texas asked a North Texas district court to strike down the law, joining the Trump administration's suit, and the judge stopped the state from enforcing it. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said last week that he joined the Trump administration's motion to end the "unconstitutional" law. 'Ending this discriminatory and un-American provision is a major victory for Texas," he said. MALDEF said it is planning to pursue legal status on behalf of Students for Affordable Tuition, a group of students who would have to pay out-of-state tuition four times as high if the judge's ruling holds. "What happened last week — the invalidation of longstanding state law in the course of one afternoon — was an abuse of our judicial system; those affected by the attempted invalidation have the right to be heard on the legality of the Texas Dream Act," said Thomas Saenez, the president and general council of MALDEF. This is a developing story. Check back for updates. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas nonprofit fights end to in-state tuition for undocumented students
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
L.A. Woman: Eva Longoria Fights For Her Community on Film and on the Ground
"Anytime there's a natural disaster, there's so much heartbreak,' actress Eva Longoria says, reflecting on her experiences on the ground helping victims of the Eaton Fire in Altadena, where she aided in cleanup and handing out food and other necessities. 'All of the stories were so humbling and a lot of the people in Altadena are from Black and brown communities, so they not only lost their homes, but a lot also lost their work [as] nannies, gardeners, construction workers and housekeepers.'Longoria — who splits her time between Los Angeles, Mexico and Spain — says she focused on holding space for people's stories while holding their hands, adding that the stress of deportation raids, which increased when the Trump administration came into office, made things worse. 'A lot of the people I was speaking to were undocumented and living in fear,' she there were inspirational moments amid the despair. 'L.A. galvanized around this — there was no Republican and no Democrat,' she says. 'It was people out there helping each other … that was the most beautiful thing.'The Corpus Christi, Texas native — who recently backed Kamala Harris for president and spoke at the 2024 Democratic National Convention — has been a champion for progressive ideals and social justice since she became a star on Desperate Housewives 20 years ago. As her profile grew, so did her activism. She's used her platform to fight for immigration reform and workers' rights via the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF) and the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) as well as United Farm Workers and the Dolores Huerta Foundation. Her own namesake foundation helps Latina women and their families with education and entrepreneurship, and another group she formed, Eva's Heroes, is dedicated to helping special needs adults with a variety of online and in-person addition to her presence on the front lines of the L.A. fires, she donated to the California Community Foundation's Wildfire Recovery Fund. She also contributed $1 million to Julián Castro's Latino Community Foundation's Wildfire Relief Fund — to 'make sure that the people from my community were getting resources that they needed,' she says of something she's always prioritized. "I am a very proud Latina,' Longoria adds — and it seems to inspire everything she does, from serving as director of 2023's Flamin' Hot to her most recent acting role as Selena Gomez's movie double in Only Murders in the Building. Her CNN original series Searching for Spain — a spinoff of her hit Searching for Mexico — is coming in 2025, and an FX and Disney+ Latin America docuseries following the Mexican soccer team Club Necaxa is also forthcoming. Her comedy film Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip debuts on Disney+ March 28, and she celebrates 20 years as a global ambassador for L'Oréal philanthropy remains her most important role. 'I do it as a person who cares deeply about humanity,' she says, 'and as a daughter who grew up in a household where my parents taught me what volunteerism means and the value of it.'Learn more about Longoria's humanitarian projects and social justice work at and
