Arizona’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients are fighting to keep their in-state tuition rates.

Arizona officials are still continuing its lawsuit to not grant immigrants the in-state tuition rates despite Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Arthur Anderson's May ruling that DACA recipients have lawful presence in Arizona.

On Nov. 18, the state's attorney general's office gave their argument to the Arizona Court of Appeals. The court did not provide a decision as it will still hear arguments from the Maricopa Community Colleges (MCCCD) defense team.

"The current Attorney General, Mark Brnovich has the power to bring this litigation to an end and in doing so stop misspending thousands of dollars and resources in taxpayer money. Still, the Attorney General's office remains invested in trumping the education of Arizona students who have done nothing but contribute to the growth of the state," said Korina Iribe, a DACA recipient and member of the Arizona DREAM At Coalition (ADAC).

While the case continues, DACA recipients in Arizona are still allow in-state tuition rates at community college and public university institutions.

Arizona is among the 26 states seeking to block the expanded DACA program, which would increase the two-year stay permit to three years. The 26 states have sued President Barack Obama for his Nov. 20, 2014, immigration executive actions, which also saw the introduction of the Deferred Action for Parental Accountability (DAPA) program. DAPA DAPA would allow eligible immigrant parents of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents, who have been in the country since Jan. 1, 2010, to request three-year employment authorization. Due to the 26 state's legal action, DAPA and DACA's expanded guidelines have not been implemented.

According to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, Arizona immigrants currently provide the state with nearly $238 million in state and local taxes. With the executive actions, immigrants would pay an additional $18.7 million in Arizona's local and state taxes.

Based on data from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the federal agency that handles the DACA applications, more than 23,000 immigrants have received DACA status.

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