With the threat of a lawsuit looming, Attorney General Mark Brnovich wants members of the Arizona Board of Regents to explain why they think they can let DREAMers pay the same tuition as other Arizona residents.
Brnovich's office has told regents President Eileen Klein that his office is considering what legal action to take against the board for a policy that it considers illegal.
The Arizona Attorney General’s Office would prefer to wait until the Arizona Supreme Court rules on the matter, but spokesman Ryan Anderson said former State Sen. Russell Pearce and Justice Watch have threatened to sue to overturn the policy and it forced their hand.
"We work on our own timeline. And we're not going to be bullied or pressured into action by an outside group. But, again, given the artificial timeline that Judicial Watch has put in place we felt we would at least interact and, as I said, give them an opportunity to provide a response," said Anderson.
A 2006 voter-approved law makes in-state tuition and state-financed aid off limits to those "without lawful immigration status.'' In 2012, however, the Obama administration approved the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
Based on that, the Maricopa Community Colleges concluded they were entitled to the same in-state tuition as others who meet residency standards.
KJZZ is licensed to the Maricopa County Community College District.