YOUNG MIGRANTS GET BREAK

Pima grants in-state tuition for immigrants

By CHELO GRUBB At their Feb. 27 meeting, Pima Community Colleges governing board voted to charge in-state tuition for undocumented students who enroll in a new federal immigration program and can prove theyve lived in the county for a year or more. Alejandra Salazar, an undocumented PCC student, is eagerly awaiting her work permit so she can start attending classes at Pima Community College full time. I mainly realized the challenge when I was in high school and awarded the Pima Merit scholarship. I couldnt accept it because I was undocumented, Salazar said. The change cuts the cost of a full-time enrollment from $4,500 to $1,000 per semester and is expected to go into effect for the fall semester. The higher rate is the out-ofstate tuition students are charged if they have lived in Arizona for

Student Alejandra Salazar.

less than a year. She graduated from Amphi High School in 2009. Since then, Salazar has been taking as many classes as she could afford each semesternever more than two. About 20 people, including Salazar, spoke during the public comment portion of the meeting.
See TUITION, Page 4

Aztec Press photos by Chelo Grubb

Students Eddie Luque and Danilo Andrade hold signs supporting instate tuition for immigrants who came to the United States as children.