Key Takeaways
The Justice Department filed complaints Monday against New York, Connecticut and Vermont over laws that let undocumented students pay in-state tuition at public colleges.
The filings bring the department's campaign against state Dream Act laws to 17 states, after courts struck down similar laws in Texas, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Illinois.
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong vowed to fight the suit and defend eligible students in the state.
The U.S. Justice Department filed complaints Monday against New York, Connecticut and Vermont over state laws that allow undocumented students to pay in-state tuition rates at public colleges and universities, according to UPI. The department's release argues the laws discriminate against citizens who pay higher out-of-state rates. "States cannot put illegal aliens over our Nation's own citizens," Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward said.
The Monday filings bring the campaign to 17 states, and the department says five earlier suits, in Texas, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Illinois, have already produced orders striking down similar laws. New Jersey was sued in May and Maryland in July. The laws vary state by state, and in New York the Senator José Peralta DREAM Act also opens state financial aid to students who qualify.
Connecticut is not planning to fold. "How we run our schools and teach our kids is none of your business," Attorney General William Tong said of the president, per Connecticut Public, calling the suit a cruel attack on students he intends to defend.
The filings extend a pattern we have been tracking all summer, with the federal government moving against state-level programs that serve immigrant families, from the TANF data fight to the $65 million standoff over children's legal aid. Seventeen states in, the courts now decide whether tuition policy belongs to Washington or the statehouse.
People Also Ask
Which states has the Justice Department sued over in-state tuition laws?
The campaign now covers 17 states. The newest complaints target New York, Connecticut and Vermont, following earlier suits including New Jersey and Maryland, and court wins for the department in Texas, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Illinois.
What is the New York DREAM Act?
The Senator José Peralta New York State DREAM Act lets qualifying undocumented students pay in-state tuition and, if approved, apply for state financial aid.
What is the Justice Department's legal argument?
The department argues the state laws unconstitutionally discriminate against U.S. citizens who pay out-of-state rates and conflict with federal immigration law passed by Congress.
How has Connecticut responded to the lawsuit?
Attorney General William Tong vowed to fight it, saying the president does not run Connecticut's colleges and that the state will keep tuition and aid open to all eligible students.