Recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program are not eligible for in-state tuition rates, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled Monday. Their conclusion coincides with a 2017 Arizona Court of Appeals' ruling. That means tuition may soon double or triple for the 2,000 DACA recipients who attend the Maricopa Community Colleges.
Before today's ruling, the students had been paying the in-state rates since 2015.
With the court's reversal, some say their dreams of getting college educations have been buried.
"We are an asset," said Karina Ruiz, the president of the Arizona Dream Act Coalition. "We contribute. For this state to not give us a chance to continue to do so, it’s wrong.”
Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich said that while he's sympathetic to these kids and their hopes for higher education, he commended the court for cracking down on universities who were violating the law.
"It’s about time someone held them accountable, and that’s my job," Brnovich said. "My role as AG is to make sure you’re following the law.”
A USA Today contributor, too, noted that while she thinks the ruling is "sickening," it is undoubtedly the "right" one.
President Trump rescinded the DACA program last year, but gave Congress a six-month grace period to try and make the program constitutional. Despite bipartisan meetings, the parties failed to come to an agreement.
Trump blames the Democrats. They blame him.
Trump created the DACA crisis by ending the program last year. Since then, he has failed to accept six bipartisan compromises and proven himself an unreliable negotiation partner. DACA recipients deserve certainty — they’re not getting it from this Administration.
— Dick Durbin (@DickDurbin) April 9, 2018
And we wonder why nothing was solved.
A full opinion explaining the details of the Arizona court's ruling on DACA and in-state tuition will be released May 14.