DOJ Sues Virginia Over Tuition Policy

Virginia’s policy of granting in-state tuition rates to students without legal immigrant status at its public colleges and universities is the subject of a lawsuit by the Justice Department. The Trump administration claimed that the Virginia Education Code “directly” contradicts with federal immigration law in a lawsuit filed late on Monday.

The case claims that since 2022, Virginia law has granted lower in-state tuition rates to students without legal immigrant status who have been in the state for at least two years, but denied the same advantage to citizens who are not Virginians.

Other states with similar tuition plans have been the target of similar lawsuits. Oklahoma, Illinois, and California were sued by the Trump administration in August, September, and November, respectively. A Texas policy that provided financial help to undocumented immigrants was overturned by a federal judge in June.

According to the immigration law center, states are not prohibited by federal law from offering in-state tuition to illegal immigrants provided they give nonresidents who fulfill the same standards the same chance.

Source: NBC News