N.J. Student Aid Bid Rejected Due to Mom's Immigration Status: An American-born high school student from New Jersey has been denied state tuition assistance because her mother is an undocumented immigrant, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.
The ACLU and a Rutgers University legal clinic are representing the high school senior identified only as A.Z. in an appeal filed on her behalf in a case they claim violates both state and federal laws.
The 17-year-old, who has lived in New Jersey for at least a decade and is a graduating senior, applied for a Tuition Aid Grant from the state's Higher Education Student Assistance Authority, or HESAA. Her state aid application was rejected, according to the ACLU, with the explanation that “her parents are not legal New Jersey residents.”
