Tens of thousands of students without legal status will now face steep tuition hikes. Immigration advocates expect the ruling will be challenged in court.

A federal judge has blocked a Texas law that has for decades given college students without legal residency in the U.S. access to reduced in-state tuition, swiftly ruling in favor of the latest effort by the Trump administration to crack down on immigration into the country.

The legal basis for challenging the Texas Dream Act is contained in Section 505 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996.