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Arizona measure opening in-state tuition to undocumented students would also have economic benefits [1]
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Date: 2022-11-02
Yes on Prop. 308 would reverse a 2006 measure that restricted undocumented students from in-state tuition and state funds, barring many from being able to access higher education. That measure passed by an overwhelming margin.
But recent polling has encouraging news for young immigrants and supporters of Prop. 308, which would open in-state tuition to students who have attended a high school in the state for at least two years, regardless of immigration status. “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 reported.
It’s also just the right thing to do. Despite the Arizona Board of Regents’ approval of a 150% tuition rate for undocumented students after the Arizona Supreme Court blocked community colleges and public universities in the state from offering in-state tuition rates to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, it still leaves them paying more than their peers even if they grew up there. But voters should know Prop. 308 can benefit the state at large, too.
“It could likewise elevate spending power for Dreamers by more than $23 million annually, leading to additional consumer spending that would benefit many of the local communities that are still reeling from the economic disruptions of the past two years,” Immigration Impact said.
Where 2006’s measure passed with support from three-quarters of voters, Prop. 308 has been endorsed by a growing number of state Republicans. More than 50 said in a letter touted by the Yes on 308 campaign that “[a]llowing all Arizona high school graduates to pay the same tuition rate at our state colleges and universities is an important step toward meeting critical workforce needs and would greatly benefit the state’s economy.” The letter noted the fiscal contributions by DACA recipients.
“The overall spending power for all of Arizona’s DACA-eligible population is over $617.9 million. According to the latest research, earning a college degree by paying in-state tuition would boost the earnings of Arizona’s Dreamers by more than $28 million annually. More than 3,600 Arizona students would benefit from an in-state tuition policy every year.”
They note the measure will have no impact on the state budget, meaning it “will cost taxpayers nothing extra to do this and the state’s economy will benefit.”
But think of what it’ll mean for Maria Jose Verdugo. Though she’s attended Arizona schools since arriving from Mexico when she was nine, she had to turn down her acceptance to study nursing at the University of Arizona. “I’m an undocumented immigrant, which means I’m ineligible for in-state tuition,” she wrote at the Arizona Daily Star. Not only is her dream to work at an intensive care unit delayed, it’s delayed as the nation faces critical shortages. “All we want is the ability to study and the right to work,” she writes. “Then we can truly do our best for this great state.”
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How should we be reading the 2022 polls, in light of shifting margins and past misses? In this episode of The Downballot, Public Policy Polling's Tom Jensen joins us to explain how his firm weights polls to reflect the likely electorate; why Democratic leads in most surveys this year should be treated as smaller than they appear because undecided voters lean heavily anti-Biden; and the surprisingly potent impact abortion has had on moving the needle with voters despite our deep polarization.
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