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Obama urges Arizonans to vote yes on proposition opening in-state tuition rates to immigrant youth [1]
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Date: 2022-11-03
“Congress still needs to take care of Dreamers,” Obama said during his speech in Phoenix on Wednesday. “But in the meantime you can vote yes on Prop. 308, here in Arizona, to make sure Dreamers have the same access to higher education as the kids they grew up with. That’s the right thing to do. It’s good for Arizona, it’s good for our economy.”
Fact check: True. Should Arizona voters reverse the 2006 measure that unfairly restricted young undocumented residents from in-state tuition rates, it won’t just put these students on more equal footing as their peers: Research has shown it would raise millions in state and federal taxes. Young immigrants who would now be able to access higher education and earn a degree would see their earnings boosted “by more than $28 million annually, elevating their spending power by more than $23 million annually,” the American Immigration Council said.
Aliento, an immigrant youth-led organization founded by DACA recipient Reyna Montoya, shared video of the former president’s endorsement. “Thank you, Mr. President,” the organization tweeted. “Vote on Prop. 308 this November 8th!”
Montoya has called passage of the measure a matter of “fairness and giving a pathway for education," noting to the Associated Press last month that undocumented families have been paying their taxes for years. According to the Center for American Progress, Arizona’s DACA recipients pay more than $92 million in local and state taxes. But a ruling from the state’s supreme court blocked community colleges and public universities from offering them an in-state tuition rate. The 150% rate implemented by the Arizona Board of Regents was seen as a compromise, but even that remains too high for many. “I’m currently having to take a break from school to get finances under check,” Arizona State University junior Diego Diaz told the Associated Press. He’s lived in the U.S. since he was 4.
The former president’s resounding endorsement also comes as state Republicans have given their support to the measure.
“Prop 308 is the smart thing to do and it is also the right thing to do,” their letter said. “Dreamers are Arizona kids, and they deserve the same opportunities as other Arizona students. This is their home. Let’s make sure our college-bound Dreamers, who meet the same requirements as their classmates, pay the same in-state tuition rate. It’s only fair.” The letter noted: “Prop 308 would have ZERO impact on the state budget; that means Prop 308 will cost taxpayers nothing extra to do this and the state’s economy will benefit.” There’s really no reason to oppose this measure, unless stomping on the dreams of young people is your thing.
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