More than 15 years ago, Arizona voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot initiative restricting undocumented students from in-state tuition and state funds, barring many from being able to access higher education.
More than 15 years later, the issue will again be on the ballot. This time around, if voters approve Proposition 308 in November, it’ll open in-state tuition rates to students who have attended a high school in the state for at least two years, regardless of immigration status. One recent poll indicates that Arizona voters view the issue much more favorably today.
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“Two out of every three Arizona voters believe that undocumented students brought to the country as children should pay the same amount as their peers for college tuition at the state's public colleges and universities, according to bipartisan pollsters,” Arizona Republic reports. For comparison, three-quarters of voters approved 2006’s Proposition 300 barring higher education fairness to undocumented young people.
"Prop 300 held back our undocumented students from continuing their education and education as something for which our parents sacrificed so much for their children," Living United for Change Arizona Co-executive Director Alexandra Gomez told Arizona Republic. "Prop 300 prohibited undocumented students from receiving scholarships, forcing them to pay out of state tuition.”
A 2018 decision from the Arizona Supreme Court further hindered young immigrants by blocking community colleges and public universities in the state from offering in-state tuition rates to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, despite the fact that they grew up and studied in Arizona. The Arizona Board of Regents later approved a 150% tuition rate for undocumented students, but it still leaves them paying more than their peers.
“I am undocumented but I have been here all my life,” 19-year-old Maria Garcia told Arizona’s Family. “I have been here since I was 4 years old. I probably went to school with children of people who are opposed to it.”
But while the polling certainly doesn’t guarantee the proposition will pass, it’s a hopeful sign in the state. Further adding to that is that the proposition was approved for the November ballot by the state’s Republican-controlled legislature. “It didn't require the governor's signature, so it will head directly to voters in November,” Arizona Republic reports. Per polling from the Yes on 308 campaign, the overwhelmingly majority of Democrats support the proposal. Slightly more than half of independents—56%—also agree. “Among Republicans support was nearly split, with 44% of respondents saying tuition should be the same for everyone and another 48% saying undocumented students should pay more,” Arizona Republic said.
Following the state senate’s approval of the measure last year, one undocumented student said he was “one step closer towards achieving the dreams our parents sacrificed so much for.”
“Arizona is home. I have been here for over 15 years of my life. As a high school senior I dreamt of attending Arizona State University,” Darian Benitez said in release from the undocumented-led organization Aliento. “We as Arizona can’t afford to miss this opportunity to give Dreamers like me an opportunity to get our education and give back to the state that has raised us.”
While there’s no doubt the state still has its extremist elements—hello Kari Lake and billionaire puppet Blake Masters—a new generation of organizers led by Latino and Indigenous activists also helped it flip blue in 2020. Arizona Republic interestingly reports there appears to be no organized opposition to Proposition 308. Meanwhile, the proposition’s supporters are running campaigns set to knock on millions of doors.
The polling news comes as DACA and its beneficiaries continue to face an uncertain future. While the Biden administration has released its finalized rule intending to fortify the program, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals is expected to rule any day now in an ongoing case. A notoriously conservative court, it is expected to rule against these young people and the program. They need permanent relief.
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