The Arizona Republic reports:
Arizona colleges can't give in-state tuition to young immigrants covered under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled Monday.
The court issued a brief decision order saying justices unanimously agreed with the Arizona Court of Appeals' ruling that said existing federal and state laws don't allow the Maricopa Community Colleges to grant in-state tuition rates for DACA recipients.
A full opinion further explaining the court's ruling will be released by May 14, the order states.
The court released the order Monday to allow Maricopa Community Colleges students and the state to have as much time as possible to plan for those affected by the ruling.
More than 2,000 DACA recipients, commonly referred to as "dreamers," currently attend community college or a state university in Arizona and pay in-state rates. The ruling will make DACA recipients pay much more to attend these schools, as out-of-state rates are about triple the cost of in-state tuition.
For example, in-state students at Arizona State University pay $10,640 this year, while non-resident students pay $26,470. Residents pay $86 per credit hour at the Maricopa Community Colleges, compared with $241 for non-residents.
There's more:
Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich said he wasn’t surprised to see the ruling because his office has maintained all along that colleges and universities were violating state and federal laws by granting in-state tuition to DACA recipients.
“It’s about time someone held them accountable, and that’s my job. My role as AG is to make sure you’re following the law,” he said.
It's about time the courts take the 14th Amendment seriously ! "Undocumented" Arizona students whether they are legal citizens of Mexico or Illinois really do have out-of-state tuition...
