The Department of Justice filed lawsuits on Monday against New York, Connecticut, and Vermont, challenging state laws which grant in-state tuition and financial assistance to illegal aliens.
These federal actions arrive amid growing concerns over the civil rights of American citizens, who are denied the same reduced rates and scholarships simply for being born in the U.S.A.
The suits further charge that the state laws create clear incentives and preferential treatment for illegal immigration, placing illegal aliens ahead of American citizens in direct conflict with federal law (8 U.S.C. § 1623).
The Department of Justice’s New York complaint cites average tuition and fees of $8,316 for in-state students versus $18,613 for those from out of state, according to reporting by The Center Square.
A string of recent victories in Texas, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Illinois have already permanently enjoined similar residency-based education benefits for illegal aliens.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, the Justice Department expressed confidence in the latest actions, noting that under the leadership of Attorney General Todd Blanche, these efforts have delivered clear wins for the American people, with courts issuing favorable orders that have declared similar laws unconstitutional, including a ruling from the Fifth Circuit.
In late 2025, the Equal Protection Project, a civil rights group based in Rhode Island, filed a complaint with the Department of Justice. The group alleged that more than 100 California public colleges and universities discriminate against American-born students by offering dedicated funding, counseling, and other support programs exclusively to DACA recipients and undocumented students.
Lawsuits against other states that similarly place illegal aliens ahead of American citizens remain pending, including in Minnesota, Virginia, California, New Jersey, Kansas, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maryland, and Colorado remain open.
Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward made the administration’s position clear:
“Congress long ago made clear that States cannot put illegal aliens over our Nation’s own citizens. By granting illegal aliens in-state tuition, New York, Vermont, and Connecticut are doing just that. No more. As of today, we have now sued every state in the Second Circuit that seeks to thwart Congress’s clear prohibition by placing alien over citizen. And our efforts will not cease until President Trump’s promise is fulfilled: illegal aliens will not receive benefits denied to our Nation’s own citizens.”
