The quick end to a Texas law that granted in-state public university tuition prices to students who lack legal resident status stunned immigrant advocates and state Democrats, who call it a cruel punishment for hardworking students that will ultimately hurt the state’s economy.

The Justice Department on Wednesday sought to block a Texas law that for decades has given college students without legal residency in the U.S. access to reduced in-state tuition rates.

Judge blocks Texas tuition breaks for students without legal status after the state's GOP attorney general backs lawsuit