By Laura Gomez | AZ Mirror
Arizona high school graduates would be eligible for in-state tuition and public financial aid at state universities and colleges, even if they are undocumented, under a proposal that won approval Wednesday in a legislative committee.
Because voters barred undocumented immigrants from receiving in-state tuition and taxpayer-funded financial aid in 2006, any changes must also be approved by the voters.
Senate Concurrent Resolution 1044 would allow all students who attend an Arizona high school for two years and who graduate to be eligible for in-state tuition. It also exempts postsecondary education from the definition of a state or local public benefit – which those without lawful immigration status can’t currently access.
“Currently Arizona is one of three states in the nation that prohibits in state tuition to undocumented immigrants. Enacting SCR1044 would eliminate such restriction and open doors for countless young adults, many of whom are DACA holders who were brought to the US as young children through no fault of their own. This is the right from both a public policy and humanitarian perspective.”
Darius Amiri, Rose Law Group Immigration Dept. Chair
