By Maria Ramirez Uribe -
Politifact
In the race for the Republican primary elections to choose the governor of Arizona, Kari Lake, a candidate endorsed by former President Donald Trump, affirmed that one of her opponents, Karrin Taylor Robson, “is against putting the United States first.”
In a 30-second television ad Lake tweeted on July 7, he claimed that Robson "gave 'illegals' discounts on school tuition and made us pay for it."
Lake also said so on the July 6 Steve Bannon
War Room
podcast .
“(Robson) voted to give illegal immigrants a lower tuition fee than American students had to pay.”
Robson served on the Arizona Board of Regents, the governing body of the Arizona public university system, from 2017 to 2021.
Lake's campaign argued that the claim is based on three Arizona Board of Regents votes on tuition for students who are in the country irregularly.
The statement is partially correct
.
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Students living in the United States irregularly and graduating from an Arizona high school may be eligible for reduced out-of-state tuition rates at Arizona public universities.
The board, including Robson, voted to allow it.
But
this type of tuition is not subsidized
, meaning it is not paid for by taxpayers.
[Primary Elections: Kansas Votes for Abortion and Arizona and Other Battleground States Decide the Future of the GOP]
In addition, the discount rate is also available to US citizens and permanent residents who can apply by meeting the established requirements.
This is how the criteria have changed over the years
In-state tuition for Arizona students living in the United States irregularly has seen years of legal challenges.
A 2006 ballot initiative, Proposition 300, banned it.
However, in 2012 the Government of Barack Obama created the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which prevents the deportation of immigrants who entered the country irregularly when they were children.
As a result, the Maricopa County Community College District began offering DACA-eligible students in-state tuition,
accepting their work permit as proof of residency
.
In 2013, then-Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne sued the Maricopa Community College District over this decision, claiming it violated Proposition 300.
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A Maricopa County superior court ruled in 2015 that expanding in-state tuition to DACA recipients was not illegal.
That same year, the Arizona Board of Regents voted to allow it for Dreamers.
Robson was not on the board at the time.
In June 2017, the Arizona Court of Appeals overturned the lower court's ruling, saying DACA recipients were ineligible.
Maricopa Community Colleges appealed the decision to the Arizona Supreme Court.
[Trump-Backed Candidates Win Arizona Primary]
That same month, in one of Robson's first days on the Arizona Board of Regents, it was voted 7-1 to continue providing in-state tuition to Dreamers while the case was in litigation.
Robson supported the measure.
In 2018, the Arizona Supreme Court agreed with the appeals court, ruling that DACA students were not eligible.
In response,
the Board of Regents
banned
in-state tuition for Dreamers
, but resorted to a 2015 board rule that allowed it to provide lower tuition costs for Arizona DACA recipients.
Students who are in the country irregularly, such as dreamers, are not eligible for financial aid or student loans. Lynne Sladky / AP
That rule created a “non-resident high school graduate tuition rate” of 150% of in-state tuition for those who were ineligible but met a series of criteria including:
Have attended an Arizona high school for at least three years;
Graduate from an Arizona high school;
Y
Be “lawfully present” in Arizona.
(DACA recipients are considered “lawfully present”; which is not the same as having lawful status.)
In 2019, the board voted unanimously to amend the 2015 policy so that
all students living irregularly in Arizona, not just Dreamers, are eligible
for the reduced non-resident rate.
Currently, resident tuition at Arizona State University, one of three public universities the Board oversees, is about $13,000 a year.
Tuition for non-residents is $19,000 and $32,000 for out of state.
[Arizona's primary election reflects a Republican party divided between Trump and Pence]
In 2021, the board, in a symbolic vote, affirmed its support for legislation that makes Dreamers and other high school graduates in Arizona eligible for in-state tuition.
This vote did not change any policy.
In November, residents of that state will vote on a measure that seeks a partial repeal of Proposition 300.
Arizona taxpayers do not pay the non-resident tuition rate
Lake's ad misleads voters by claiming that Robson's votes put tuition costs on taxpayers.
A student who qualifies for the reduced tuition rate
is responsible for paying it
.
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Aug. 3, 202200:26
Those who live in the country irregularly are not eligible for federal financial aid, and in Arizona, due to Proposition 300, they are also not eligible for state-funded aid.
These students rely on their own money and private aid to pay for college.
Arizona spends less than most states on higher education, according to data from the Urban Institute.
A large part of the funding comes from tuition payments, not tax money.
All students graduating from an Arizona high school, regardless of immigration status, are eligible for the reduced out-of-state tuition rate if they meet all criteria.
our verdict
Lake claimed that Robson "gave 'illegals' tuition benefits and made us pay for them."
While on the Board of Regents, Robson voted to allow DACA students to continue paying in-state tuition while a court case about their eligibility for this rate was resolved.
He also voted for irregular students to qualify for a reduced out-of-state tuition rate if they meet other requirements.
This tuition is not subsidized, which means that the Government does not pay for it
.
Those who are irregularly in the country are not eligible for financial aid or student loans.
We rate this statement
Medium True
.