The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed lawsuits against New York, Connecticut, and Vermont, challenging state laws that provide in-state college tuition and financial assistance to illegal aliens.
The lawsuits, filed August 10th, argue that the states’ policies violate federal law by allowing students who are illegally in the United States to receive reduced tuition rates and, in some cases, scholarships and financial aid that are not available on the same basis to U.S. citizens from outside the states.
According to the Justice Department, federal law prohibits public colleges from providing higher-education benefits to illegal aliens when the same benefits are not offered to U.S. citizens, regardless of their state of residence.
DOJ is asking federal courts to block enforcement of the challenged laws and policies.
The three cases bring the Justice Department’s nationwide campaign on in-state tuition to 17 lawsuits.
DOJ said it has already secured favorable orders in cases involving Kentucky, Illinois, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas.
Those orders permanently block and declare unconstitutional similar laws providing reduced tuition to illegal aliens.
Nine other cases remain pending, involving California, Colorado, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Virginia.
The lawsuits are part of the Trump administration’s broader effort to prevent illegal immigrants from receiving taxpayer-funded benefits that the administration says should be reserved for U.S. citizens.
The states are expected to defend their tuition policies in federal court, setting up another round of legal battles over immigration, education, and the limits of state authority.
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