The Arizona Supreme Court unanimously ruled Monday that illegal-immigrant “Dreamers” will have to pay out-of-state tuition rates.
In a 7-0 decision, the justices ruled that Maricopa Community Colleges aren’t allowed to grant in-state tuition rates to illegal immigrants protected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
The court upheld a previous 3-0 appeals-court decision that federal and state law do not give that power to the colleges, but to the state’s political branches.
“While people can disagree what the law should be, I hope we all can agree that the attorney general must enforce the law as it is, not as we want it to be,” Attorney General Mark Brnovich said in a statement.
Mr. Brnovich noted that in 2006, Arizona voters passed Proposition 300, declaring illegal immigrants ineligible for in-state tuition and other state benefits.
According to the immigrant-rights group Mi Familia Vota, the decision will impose huge costs on DACA beneficiaries.
“Out-of-state #tuition rates are TRIPLE the cost than what you pay in-state. This creates a barrier to education for #Dreamers who want to go to college or attend a university,” the group said on Twitter.
The decision also bars in-state tuition being offered to DACA recipients at three other Arizona public universities — Arizona State University, the University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University.
