Statement from Representative Cesar Aguilar on the Federal Lawsuit Targeting Arizona Dreamers

PHOENIX – State Representative Cesar Aguilar issued the following statement in response to the federal lawsuit challenging Proposition 308, which guarantees in-state tuition for eligible Arizona high school graduates regardless of immigration status:

"Historically, Arizona has been a state where if you work hard, go to school, and give it your all, you can build a future for yourself. The federal lawsuit targeting Proposition 308 is a direct attack on that fundamental promise and a slap in the face to the 1,250,320 Arizona voters who overwhelmingly approved this policy at the ballot box.

Dreamers are Arizonans. They grew up in our neighborhoods, graduated from our high schools, and deserve the exact same opportunities as any other young person in our state. Making higher education unattainable for our youth doesn't just hold back individual students; it actively harms our state's broader economic success. Dreamers contribute roughly $466 million in annual taxes to Arizona's economy and hold an estimated $1.5 billion in annual spending power. Depriving them of affordable education weakens our workforce and hurts our local businesses.

House Democratic Leader Rebecca Rios and student activists Cesar Aguilar and Lorena Austin, before they ran for office, with other students proposing bill language to open in-state tuition to Dreamers.

Advocating for tuition equity for Dreamers is one of the primary reasons I got involved in public service in the first place. I will continue to fight relentlessly for the American Dream, a dream built on the belief that anyone can come here, work hard, and build something meaningful out of nothing. Education has always made the world a better, more prosperous place, and I will not stop striving for a more just, equitable, and accessible Arizona for every student."