Trump Administration Sues California Over In-State Tuition for Immigrant Students
The Trump administration has filed a lawsuit against California, alleging that the state’s practice of providing in-state college tuition, scholarships, and state-funded financial aid to students who are not legally in the United States is harming U.S. citizens and encouraging illegal immigration. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, names the state, top state officials, and the state’s two public university systems, the University of California and California State, as defendants.
The lawsuit is the latest in a series of actions taken by the Trump administration against states that provide benefits to immigrants living in the country illegally. Similar lawsuits have been filed against Illinois, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Kentucky, and Texas, with half of the country now having similar laws to California’s. In June, Texas ended its decades-old law providing in-state tuition to immigrant students after being sued by the administration, and Florida scrapped its law last year.
Support for Immigrant Students
Supporters of the state tuition breaks argue that they do not violate federal law as long as they provide the same rates to U.S. citizens in the same circumstances, meaning they are residents of the state and graduates of one of its high schools. The California Dream Act also allows immigrant students to apply for state-funded financial aid. Many of these students were brought to the U.S. by their parents when they were children and are considered part of their communities, according to supporters of the laws.
According to the University of California, its decades-old in-state tuition policy is consistent with current legal standards. The university system serves about 300,000 students, while the California State University system, the nation’s largest and most diverse, serves over 460,000 students, with more than a quarter of undergraduates being first-generation college students.
Response from California Officials
California Governor Gavin Newsom’s office has called the lawsuit “meritless” and “politically motivated,” stating that the state will see the administration in court. The University of California has also defended its policy, saying it will comply with the law as determined by the courts. The lawsuit comes weeks after the California Supreme Court let stand a lower-court ruling that the University of California’s policy barring students without legal status in the U.S. from campus jobs is discriminatory and must be reconsidered.
The Trump administration’s actions have been met with criticism from immigrant advocacy groups and educators, who argue that the policies are intended to intimidate and punish states that provide support to immigrant communities. The administration has also been accused of using the lawsuits as a way to advance its anti-immigrant agenda.
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