Immigration bellwether Arizona to vote on in-state tuition for noncitizens

Arizonans will vote in November on providing in-state college tuition for noncitizen students, a hot-button cultural issue for a state that has long been on the forefront of the immigration wars that increasingly shape national politics. The border state has been a leader in imposing the nation's strictest immigration laws, but voters will have to decide whether to maintain that approach or cede ground to progressives and immigrant advocates. Voters will face ballot measure Proposition 308, which would make in-state tuition rates available to all students in the state, regardless of immigration status. More than 20 states, including Texas, have passed similar policies. A "yes" vote would reverse a 2006 Arizona ballot measure in which voters chose to bar illegal immigrants from being eligible for in-state tuition, financial aid, and other resources. WATCH: ANNA GIARITELLI BREAKS DOWN BIDEN'S 'QUIET' PLEA FOR HELP AT THE BORDER The approval of Proposition 308 would allow children and adults who were brought to the United States illegally as minors to qualify automatically for the same lower tuition that public universities make available to U.S. citizen residents. To be eligible, illegal immigrants must have attended school in Arizona for at least two years and have graduated from a public school, private school, or homeschool. Proponents argue that it would improve the state's workforce. The American Immigration Council said the measure could lead to more college graduates statewide and help ease labor shortages. “Currently, Arizona is experiencing serious workforce shortages across all sectors. Approving #Prop308, #AZ would grant in-state tuition to ALL Arizonian HS graduates, which would be a significant step toward meeting essential workforce demands,” AIC said in a statement on Twitter ahead of the election. Marco Lopez, the former mayor of border town Nogales, said the change is necessary because of the significant difference in tuition costs for in-state and out-of-state students. “Currently, they have to pay out-of-state tuition which can be more than three times the cost of in-state tuition,” Lopez wrote in a post to Twitter on Oct. 17. Opponents, though, including the Republican Party of Arizona, have cast the measure as unfairly rewarding illegal immigration. "Americans should not have to pay for non-American citizens, illegals, giving them favored status for their trespass and invasion into America,” GOP state Rep. John Fillmore said after the measure was approved for the ballot. Tuition subsidies for noncitizens have long split Republicans. For example, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry's campaign for the Republican nomination for president suffered because of his support for a state law granting aid to illegal immigrants. His rival and the eventual nominee, Mitt Romney, hammered the law as a $100,000 subsidy for illegal immigrants. Perry accused Romney and other detractors of lacking "heart," a comment that drew criticism from conservatives and for which he later apologized. Arizona has a long history of tough immigration laws. In 2010, the state legislature passed Senate Bill 1070, which was at the time the strictest anti-illegal immigration bill in the country and drew national attention. The law allowed state and local police to inquire about a person’s immigration status during a traffic stop or when a suspect was detained. The law drew national controversy, with immigrant advocates calling it inhumane and conservatives defending it as a matter of states' rights. It was challenged in court and made its way to the Supreme Court, which struck down three of its four provisions. The topic of immigration generally has been a major issue in this year's Senate election in Arizona. Republican nominee Blake Masters has sought to tie incumbent Democrat Mark Kelly to the crisis at the border. For more information, visit us at https://washex.am/3f2i6Cb.