Why is ASU asking for my wife's high school transcripts when she is already in college? I know I graduated from the university many moons ago, but my wife has been attending community college for awhile and wants to transfer to an online program with Arizona State University (ASU).

My understanding is when you transfer from one institution of higher learning to another you transfer your transcripts. I am not sure how did conversation asking my wife for her high school transcripts from her country of origin, where she has to get them notarized and translated and what not ended up as part of the conversation.

It's a given she did this once already as that is how you get into a US accredited local community college already.

So can anyone help me out here because otherwise I am thinking they are hearing an accent and asking her what they shouldn't and just going down a road of treating her like she is some international student who is trying to apply to school here.
The latest degree matters

She's joining a new institution from scratch. If she hasn't graduated anything else, the new college is admitting a high school graduate, and they want to see these transcripts to verify that she is a high school graduate. They have no reason to assume that some other organization did the verification in the way they require. They may have some process to transfer (partial) credits for courses completed in the previous college, but that happens after she's been admitted.