The U.S. Department of Justice sued Utah, the District of Columbia, and two additional states Thursday, challenging laws that grant in-state college tuition and scholarships to immigrants without permanent legal status.
The lawsuits represent the latest action in a Trump administration push to end such practices nationwide. According to the Justice Department, the total number of lawsuits filed over in-state tuition policies for unauthorized immigrants has reached 25.
Department attorneys argue that the policies discriminate against U.S. citizens from out of state. Stanley Woodward Jr., associate U.S. attorney general, said in a prepared statement: "No more placing illegal aliens over American citizens on this Department of Justice's watch."
The legal action follows a recent victory for the Justice Department. Earlier this week, a federal judge in Kansas ruled that state's tuition law unconstitutional.
The lawsuits align with President Donald Trump's 2025 executive actions on immigration policy. The administration has made challenging state-level benefits for undocumented immigrants a priority across multiple jurisdictions.