After Recent Court Ruling, Rep. Gallego Calls on Board of Regents to Move Forward with in-state tuition for DACA recipients
Phoenix, AZ – Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Arthur Anderson ruled in favor of in-state tuition for DACA recipients in Arizona. In the ruling Judge Anderson states that "The circumstance under which a person enters the U.S. does not determine that person's lawful presence here" and that DHS considers DACA recipients to be here legally. Judge Anderson states that, "the state cannot establish subcategories of ‘lawful presence,' picking and choosing when it will consider DACA recipients lawfully present and when it will not."
Today Rep. Ruben Gallego sent a letter calling on the Arizona Board of Regents to move forward with in-state tuition for DACA Recipients. The Arizona Board of Regents is meeting this morning to discuss the recent court decision and will make a statement on the issue.
You can read the letter, here.
Rep. Ruben Gallego released the following statement:
"In his decision, Judge Anderson made clear that DREAMers who have lived and grown up in our state are entitled to the same in-state tuition as other Arizona residents. The Department of Homeland Security considers DACA recipients to be in the country legally and we cannot create ‘subcategories of lawful presence' - to deny Arizona DREAMers in state-tuition would do just that by denying them access to the quality, affordable education that the rest of Arizona's youth enjoys.
"I urge the Arizona Board of Regents to affirm the rights of DACA students and give them access to in-state tuition. The decision stands on solid legal ground, and it's the right moral and economic thing to do for these students, their families, and our state."
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