‘No state can be allowed to treat Americans like second-class citizens in their own country,’ Pam Bondi says
The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit Wednesday challenging a Minnesota law that allows illegal immigrants to qualify for in-state college tuition and state financial aid, arguing that the policy violates federal law and discriminates against citizens.
The lawsuit targets the Minnesota Dream Act, signed by then–governor Mark Dayton (D.) in 2013, which permits some illegal immigrants who graduate from Minnesota high schools or earn GEDs in the state to pay reduced tuition and access state financial aid. The DOJ’s lawsuit accuses the Minnesota law of violating a federal statute that prohibits higher education institutions from offering benefits to illegal immigrants that aren’t available to U.S. citizens.
“No state can be allowed to treat Americans like second-class citizens in their own country by offering financial benefits to illegal aliens,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said. “The Department of Justice just won on this exact issue in Texas, and we look forward to taking this fight to Minnesota in order to protect the rights of American citizens first.”
On June 4, Texas agreed to stop enforcing the Texas Dream Act—a law enacted in 2001 that provided in‑state tuition to illegal immigrants—just hours after the DOJ sued the state over the law. The Trump administration also launched a similar legal challenge last week in Kentucky, Fox News reported.
The three lawsuits stem from President Donald Trump’s executive orders aimed at ensuring illegal aliens do not receive taxpayer benefits or preferential treatment, Fox News noted.
One order, titled “Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Open Borders,” directs federal agencies to ensure that “no taxpayer-funded benefits go to unqualified aliens.” The other, “Protecting American Communities From Criminal Aliens,” instructs officials to stop enforcing any unlawful state or local policies that favor non-citizens—including in-state tuition programs.
The Trump administration has ramped up its crackdown on illegal immigration, with migrant encounters as of February plummeting to the lowest level since 2017. Federal officials have more than doubled the average number of daily arrests—from 660 during the president’s first 100 days to 1,200 this month, CBS News reported. The White House said it aims to reach 3,000 arrests per day.