The Department of Justice is suing the State of Minnesota, Governor Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison over a state program that allows some undocumented immigrants access to free and in-state college tuition costs.
The suit alleges that Minnesota's Dream Act and North Star Promise scholarship violates federal law by offering in-state and free tuition prices to undocumented students, but not U.S. citizen students from other states.
“No state can be allowed to treat Americans like second-class citizens in their own country by offering financial benefits to illegal aliens,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi, in a release. “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.”
The federal government argues that established law prohibits providing postsecondary education benefits to "aliens that are not offered to U.S. citizens," according to the release.
The North Star Promise, which was passed in 2023 and launched in the fall of 2024, provides state funding for tuition and college fees for students from families making less than $80,000 annually.
The amount of funding students receive is based on their remaining costs after all grants and scholarships have been awarded.
