The Trump administration is expanding its legal campaign against state policies that offer tuition benefits to illegal immigrants that are not equally available to all U.S. citizens. The Justice Department has now filed 17 lawsuits nationwide, with its latest actions targeting New York, Connecticut, and Vermont.

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From The Gateway Pundit:

On Monday, the Department of Justice filed lawsuits against New York, Connecticut, and Vermont, challenging state laws that provide qualifying illegal aliens with in-state tuition rates, financial assistance, and scholarships unavailable on the same terms to American citizens living outside those states.

The DOJ alleges that the blue-state programs violate federal law, encourage illegal immigration, and force American students to compete under a system tilted against them.

Let that sink in: An American citizen living across the state line may be charged the full out-of-state tuition rate while someone unlawfully present in the country can qualify for taxpayer-supported benefits based on state residency.

At the center of the Justice Department’s argument is a provision of federal immigration law governing postsecondary education benefits. Under 8 U.S.C. § 1623, states generally cannot provide higher-education benefits to migrants who are not lawfully present on the basis of residency unless U.S. citizens are eligible for the same benefits regardless of their state of residence.

The lawsuits against New York, Connecticut, and Vermont extend a broader Justice Department effort to challenge state tuition policies under that statute. According to the DOJ, similar legal actions have been brought against California, Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Texas, and Virginia.

The department says the campaign has already resulted in favorable orders involving several states. In Illinois, U.S. District Judge David Dugan recently permanently blocked provisions that made certain individuals who are not lawfully present eligible for in-state tuition and state financial assistance. The federal government argued that those benefits violated federal law because similarly situated U.S. citizens residing outside Illinois could not receive them.

The latest lawsuits underscore a broader conflict between the Trump administration’s immigration agenda and states that have adopted policies designed to extend certain public benefits to people regardless of immigration status. Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward said Congress has made clear that states cannot place illegal immigrants ahead of American citizens, while Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate argued that American students should not be treated as “second-class citizens” in their own country.

The dispute will now move through the federal courts, where judges will determine whether the states’ programs can coexist with federal immigration law. With cases now spanning much of the country, the eventual outcomes could have significant implications for how states structure tuition and financial-aid programs for years to come.

Scripture repeatedly calls those in authority to administer justice impartially and to respect the law. As these cases proceed, let’s pray for wisdom for the judges considering them, for our leaders to uphold just laws, and for immigration and education policies that honor both compassion and the proper responsibilities of government.

Share your prayers and scriptures for justice and wise immigration policy in the comments.

(Excerpt from The Gateway Pundit. Photo Credit: Soho A Studio via Canva Teams)