Immigration Status Serves As Barrier For Some Students

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Some students say they're losing out despite a New Mexico law that allows them in-state tuition at public colleges or universities and state-funded financial aid regardless of their immigration status. The law has been in effect for 11 years but New Mexico's 14 public universities and colleges operate independently from one another and their policies regarding immigrant students vary. The Santa Fe New Mexican reports (http://bit.ly/2drxORs) that New Mexico Highlands University imposes some of the toughest barriers, according to interviews with students and school officials from around the state. The interviews indicate some of the problems immigrant students encounter may be largely because staff members aren't informed about the law. The state Higher Education Department says the schools set their own enrollment policies, but they must follow state and federal immigration laws.