The Department of Justice has taken decisive action against Minnesota’s Dream Act, calling out a system that prioritizes illegal immigrants over American citizens for coveted education benefits.
Key Takeaways
- The DOJ has sued Minnesota to stop providing in-state tuition and financial aid to undocumented students, marking the third such lawsuit after similar actions in Texas and Kentucky.
- Attorney General Pam Bondi has explicitly stated that these policies treat Americans as “second-class citizens” by offering financial benefits to illegal immigrants that aren’t available to all U.S. citizens.
- The lawsuit directly challenges the Minnesota Dream Act of 2013, which allows certain undocumented students to qualify for in-state tuition rates.
- This legal action aligns with President Trump’s April executive order directing federal officials to take action against state laws that favor undocumented immigrants over American citizens.
- The DOJ recently won a similar case in Texas, effectively ending their version of the Dream Act and establishing a precedent for the Minnesota case.
DOJ Takes Aim at Minnesota’s Preferential Treatment of Illegal Immigrants
The Department of Justice has launched a lawsuit against Minnesota over its Dream Act, which provides in-state tuition rates and financial aid to undocumented immigrants. This legal challenge marks the third such action in June alone, following similar efforts in Texas and Kentucky. The lawsuit specifically names Governor Tim Walz, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, and the Minnesota Office of Higher Education as defendants. The DOJ’s core argument centers on the claim that these state laws discriminate against U.S. citizens by offering benefits to illegal immigrants that aren’t equally available to all Americans.
Attorney General Pam Bondi has been forthright about the administration’s position on these state policies. “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 Pam Bondi.
The DOJ further emphasized in its filing that “the magnitude of this discrimination against U.S. citizens is substantial,” according to the DOJ.
Trump Administration’s Broader Immigration Enforcement Strategy
This lawsuit is not occurring in isolation but rather represents a central component of President Trump’s comprehensive immigration enforcement strategy. In April, Trump signed an executive order directing federal officials to take action against state laws that favor undocumented immigrants over U.S. citizens. This directive has now materialized in concrete legal challenges across multiple states, with the Minnesota case being the latest development. The administration’s approach encompasses two key executive orders: “Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Open Borders” and “Protecting American Communities From Criminal Aliens.”
“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,” stated Attorney General Pam Bondi. This recent victory in Texas provides a significant legal precedent that strengthens the DOJ’s position in the Minnesota case.
Minnesota’s Response and Broader Implications
Governor Walz’s office has indicated they are reviewing the lawsuit but has not offered further comment. As a vocal critic of the Trump administration, Walz is expected to mount a defense of the state’s program. The Minnesota Dream Act, signed into law in 2013, allows undocumented students who attended a Minnesota high school for at least three years and graduated or earned a GED to qualify for in-state tuition rates and state financial aid. The DOJ argues that this arrangement creates an unfair system where illegal immigrants receive benefits that out-of-state American citizens cannot access.
The Trump administration has dramatically intensified immigration enforcement efforts across multiple fronts. Daily arrests of illegal immigrants have increased substantially, while migrant encounters at the southern border have decreased. Beyond the tuition lawsuits, the administration has also taken action against international students at Harvard and implemented new screening procedures for student visa applicants, including social media reviews. These combined efforts reflect President Trump’s campaign promises to prioritize the interests of American citizens and enforce existing immigration laws.
