Proposition 300 punishes children, most of which are US citizens, denies access to education, eliminates the ability for non-English speakers to learn English, and impedes hard working students the ability to better their lives and increase their education by restricting their access to higher education.
About Proposition 300
No On 300
Local Activists Decry Prop. 300
10/31/06 | Tucson Citizen
Students gathered at the University of Arizona Monday for an anti-Proposition 300 rally a week before voters go to the polls.
Guest Opinion: Prop. 300 Will Hurt AZ More than Help Border Problem
10/26/06 | Tucson Citizen
Proposition 300, if passed, will prohibit people in Arizona who do not have legal residency or citizenship from receiving in-state tuition at Arizona's public universities and community colleges.
Latino students protest Prop. 300, fear cuts in aid
10/24/06 | Arizona Republic
Latino students closed their books Monday to protest a ballot measure they say could make college unaffordable for undocumented immigrants, even valedictorians raised in Arizona.
Prop. 300: NO
10/22/06 | Arizona Daily Star
Public-program eligibility
Prop. 300 would make children of undocumented immigrants pay nonresident tuition at Arizona's universities and community colleges; it would keep undocumented immigrants out of free English-language classes offered through the state's adult education program and require proof of citizenship or legal residence of parents for subsidized child care, even if the children are U.S. citizens.
Children aren't Criminals: Ensure Access to Child Care, Education & Opportunity
Proposition 300 targets Arizona's most vulnerable children and families. It denies proper childcare and educational opportunities for our kids.
Children should not be treated as criminals because of their immigration status or the status of their parents. Instead, they deserve education and opportunities. By providing opportunity to children, you turn them toward becoming productive members of society.
This measure is unnecessarily punitive. It targets innocent children and denies them opportunity. What good does that do? Especially since lack of opportunity leads children to hopelessness, drugs and crime.
Prop 300 Hurts All Arizonans
We live in a global economy that demands an educated workforce. In order to remain competitive, Arizona needs to cultivate our students and give them opportunities to succeed. By denying opportunities to children, we cripple our future workforce's ability to compete in the 21st century economy.
We also face a rise in crime. When children are denied opportunities to succeed, they turn to gangs, drugs and crime. Crime, gangs and drugs impact all Arizonans.
Prop 300 would force additional burdens onto Arizona businesses. In many cases, businesses will have to duplicate services provided in the public sector. Ed Hermes examines how Prop 300 would hurt ASU:
The shortsighted proponents of this bill also fail to mention that, if passed, Proposition 300 could force ASU to greatly expand its hefty bureaucracy by duplicating the services that other agencies should be providing. If passed, ASU would have to check the immigration status of every student that applies.
This would mean that ASU would have to create office space and hire the staff necessary to check the immigration status of the over 100,000 students that apply to ASU each year.
The funding for such a bureaucratic nightmare would have to come out of our already thinly stretched tuition dollars because this bill does not supply ASU (or any other university or community college) with the funding to pay for this mandate.
Proposition 300 drives up costs for the affected agencies. It requires a complex tax reporting process from these agencies which drives up the costs for additional staffing and document storage – costs that are not absorbed by the state. This is an unfunded mandate that will divert state funds from education toward unnecessary administration.
Prop 300 hurts Arizona's educational institutions, our businesses and our competitiveness. It also increases crime and provides unnecessary unfunded mandates. It's clear that Prop 300 is bad for all Arizonans.
Opinions: Proposition 300 misguided; hurts all Arizonans
9/20/06 | ASU Web Devil
The United States of America has long been known as the land of opportunity. If passed, Proposition 300 would put our ideals of upward mobility through higher education further out of reach of many of our Arizona high school scholars; it would make Arizona's economy less globally competitive and would greatly expand ASU's already large student-funded bureaucracy.
Religious Groups Against Prop 300
The Regional Interfaith Councils of Northern Arizona, Yuma County, Valley and Pima County all oppose Prop 300. The Arizona Interfaith Network also opposes Prop 300. They write:
The Arizona Interfaith Network opposes Proposition 300 (Public Program Eligibility) and we urge you to vote "No" on 300.
AIN is an organization of 170 churches, schools, non-profits, businesses and unions throughout Arizona. We are Catholic, Protestant, Evangelical, Jewish and Muslim. We have researched Proposition 300 and discovered that it will hurt families, especially families with children. Proposition 300, if passed, will create problems for many families and communities while solving none.
Proposition 300 will, if passed:
- Roadblock many families needing childcare;
- Deny individuals seeking self-improvement the opportunity to learn English;
- Derail the ambitions of many high school students seeking higher education;
- Punish children, including citizen children;
- Hurt families, including families with citizen children;
- Undermine communities, including communities promoting use of the English language.
Prop 300 violates our belief that childcare for working families is better than leaving children home alone; that talented high school age youth getting to college is a good thing; and that adults learning English is good for themselves, their families and their communities.
Some advocates claim this proposition will help with the "illegal immigration problem". Our research has proven this is false.
We respectfully ask that you read Prop 300 carefully and discuss it with others. If you do so, I believe that you will join us in voting "No" on 300.
Farm Bureau Says No to 300
From the Arizona Farm Bureau:
This proposition comes from the frustration over the failure of the federal government to act responsibly and comprehensively on securing our border and reforming the immigration system. But the fallacy of this measure is the same as when politicians call for penalties on employers who unknowingly hire workers who are not work authorized. Employers are required to obtain forms of identification when hiring. They are not allowed under federal law to question documents. Discrimination charges come from the U.S. Justice Department if they do.