Missouri Colleges Violating Students’ Constitutional Rights
Missouri is home to thousands of “Dreamers”—immigrants brought to the US as children. Since 2012, many have been granted work authorization and permission to remain in the US under the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) initiative.
On July 1, 2015, several public college systems in Missouri began issuing letters to students with DACA requiring them to pay out-of-state or international tuition rates and disqualifying them from institutional scholarships. They are saying the budget bill requires them to do this, but their position violates the Missouri constitution. Missouri lawmakers were, to be clear, motivated by anti-immigrant sentiment, intending to put a university education out-of-reach of most of these newly documented students–most who have no known memory of living anywhere other than here in the US. Tuition is increasing by three fold this fall. We need to act now and respond to this senseless discrimination.
Here is a link to a fact sheet describing the details of the state’s action and how some colleges and universities have responded: http://bit.ly/1HqPLb2
Several local immigrant rights organizations are leading the way. If you want to get involved, or if you are a student affected by these actions needing help transferring schools, contact one of the following organizations: