Debate over in-state tuition for students in US illegally

The debate has been revived in some states as President Donald Trump pursues tougher immigration policies.

The Tuition Opportunity Bill would allow these students to pay the cheaper price if they attended a Tennessee high school for the two years immediately before graduating, earned a high-school diploma or equivalent certificate in the state, and have been accepted to a public college or university.

Sixteen other states have passed laws granting in-state tuition to students who are in the United States illegally, and university systems in four others have offered the benefit on their own, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

States began adopting the policy in response to a 1996 federal law that bars such immigrants from getting college benefits that aren't offered to all U.S. citizens.

To comply with the law, states established criteria to be eligible for in-state tuition regardless of immigration status.

Some other states have sought middle ground, offering in-state tuition to those who were granted temporary protection from deportation by President Barack Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy, which aims to help those who were brought to the country as children.

"Investing in students makes sense both from a fiscal perspective and from a human perspective," said Tanya Broder, senior attorney for the National Immigration Law Center.

Republican lawmakers in Texas and Florida have proposed bills to repeal in-state tuition for students who are in the country illegally, while state attorneys in Arizona have asked a state court to block colleges from offering the benefit.

In states that passed the law, college enrollment rates among college-age Mexican noncitizens increased by 4 percentage points, from about 19 percent to 23 percent, according to recent research at the University of Maryland Baltimore County.

Experts say even the lower in-state tuition costs can be too much for immigrants here illegally — who are not eligible for federal financial aid.