Trump Admin files lawsuits against four states over tuition waivers for unauthorized immigrants

LOS ANGELES:- On Thursday, the Trump administration filed lawsuits against four additional states, alleging that they provide benefits—such as in-state college tuition rates, grants, and state-funded student loan programs—to undocumented immigrants on par with state residents. The Department of Justice initiated the legal action, asserting that the laws in Oregon, Washington, New Mexico, and Arizona conflict with federal law.

According to the Department of Justice, federal law prohibits granting unauthorized immigrants higher education benefits that are not available to U.S. citizens.

A statement issued by Brett A. Shumate, Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Civil Division, reads: “This is a straightforward matter of federal law: colleges cannot provide benefits to illegal immigrants that are not available to U.S. citizens. The Justice Department will not tolerate American students being treated like second-class citizens in their own country.”

With this new legal move, the number of U.S. states facing lawsuits from the Trump administration for granting benefits—akin to those enjoyed by local residents—to students residing in the country illegally has reached 21. Previously, the Department of Justice had already won lawsuits against the states of Texas, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Illinois.

Deputy Attorney General Stanley E. Woodward Jr. stated that efforts will not cease until President Trump’s promise is fulfilled: illegal immigrants will not receive benefits that are not provided to U.S. citizens.

There is a significant difference in tuition fees between in-state and out-of-state students. For instance, for the 2026–2027 academic year, a local resident at the University of Washington is required to pay $13,406, whereas an out-of-state student must pay $44,460. This means that undocumented immigrants who have graduated from a local high school and met the specified criteria receive a discount of up to $31,054 per year.

According to the Department of Justice, 432 undocumented immigrant students at Arizona State University received tuition waivers totaling $10.5 million for the Fall 2025 semester.

However, Washington State Governor Bob Ferguson has defended the state’s policy, asserting that he will face the challenge in court and prevail.

According to a June 2024 report, approximately 408,000 undocumented immigrants are enrolled in higher education across the United States; of these, 29.1 percent entered the country at the age of 17 or older.