Arizona Supreme Court To Decide On In-State Tuition For DACA Students

Published: Tuesday, April 3, 2018 - 2:01pm
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(Photo by Jude Joffe-Block - KJZZ)
Immigrant students and their supporters gathered at Phoenix College in 2015.

About 2,000 college students in Arizona could soon learn whether they must pay higher tuition. The students are in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

In 2012, the Obama administration allowed young immigrants who were brought to the United States illegally as children to apply for protection from deportation and get work permits.

An attorney representing the Maricopa County Community College District argued before the Arizona Supreme Court yesterday that the students have permission from the federal government to be in the United States and therefore, should continue to pay lower in-state tuition.

But, the Arizona Attorney General’s Office argued the state does not consider them eligible for lower tuition, based in large part on a voter-approved ballot measure in 2006.

The very basic question is whether when Arizona voters approved Proposition 300 by nearly 70 percent, it stated that people without lawful immigration status will not receive any sort of tuition assistance, any sort of benefits regarding tuition.

Howie Fischer with Capitol Media Services was in the courtroom. He described the justices’ reaction to the arguments.

EDITOR'S NOTE: KJZZ is licensed to the Maricopa County Community College District.

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