DOJ accuses three more states of offering in-state tuition for illegal immigrants

Federal prosecutors filed a lawsuit Monday against New York, Connecticut, and Vermont for allegedly allowing illegal immigrants to receive scholarships and in-state tuition rates, according to the Department of Justice. The northeastern states unconstitutionally discriminated against legal U.S. citizens who aren’t offered the same scholarships and tuition rates, according to prosecutors.

These tuition reductions incentivize and reward illegal immigration with benefits reserved for legal U.S. citizens, the statement added. Trump’s Justice Department will not allow American students to be treated like second-class citizens in their own country, according to Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division.

The DOJ sued a total of 17 states for allegedly allowing immigrants to receive in-state tuition rates, including the three lawsuits filed on Monday. Prosecutors sued Massachusetts and Rhode Island over migrant tuition rates in June, after bringing similar actions against Texas, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Illinois, Minnesota, Virginia, California, New Jersey, Kansas, Maryland and Colorado.

How are states responding? WORLD reached out to state education officials in New York, Connecticut, and Vermont for comment. This story will be updated with any responses received.