Trump DOJ Sues Blue State Over Benefit Program For Illegals

The Department of Justice is suing the state of Minnesota over a law providing in-state tuition for illegal aliens.

“No state can be allowed to treat Americans like second-class citizens in their own country by offering financial benefits to illegal aliens,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a press release.

The lawsuit targets the Minnesota Dream Act, which allows “undocumented students” to apply for in-state tuition and state financial aid. The law was passed in 2013.

The DOJ said the law contradicts federal law prohibiting “postsecondary education benefits to aliens that are not offered to U.S. citizens.”

The Minnesota laws allow illegal aliens to apply for in-state and free tuition.

“These laws blatantly conflict with federal law and thus are unconstitutional under the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution,” the department said.

The suit also names Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, and the Minnesota Office of Higher Education.

“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,” Bondi said.

Texas ended its in-state tuition programs for illegal aliens hours after the DOJ filed a lawsuit, The Daily Wire reported.

“Ending this discriminatory and un-American provision is a major victory for Texas,” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said at the time.

A Texas judge granted a permanent injunction against the law.

“Other states should take note that we will continue filing affirmative litigation to remedy unconstitutional state laws that discriminate against American citizens,” Bondi said at the time.

In March, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing Bondi to identify and take appropriate actions to stop the enforcement of State and local laws, regulations, policies, and practices favoring aliens over any groups of American citizens that are unlawful, preempted by Federal law, or otherwise unenforceable, including State laws that provide in-State higher education tuition to aliens but not to out-of-State American citizens.”