DOJ challenges Illinois law providing in-state tuition to undocumented students
Story by Lexi Lonas Cochran • 1h
The Hill's Headlines — September 2, 2025
The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Illinois on Tuesday for providing in-state tuition and scholarships to immigrant students without permanent legal status.
The complaint, filed in the Southern District of Illinois, alleges the state is in violation of federal law for allowing these benefits to go to undocumented students but not all U.S. citizens.
“Under federal law, schools cannot provide benefits to illegal aliens that they do not provide to U.S. citizens,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi. “This Department of Justice has already filed multiple lawsuits to prevent U.S. students from being treated like second-class citizens — Illinois now joins the list of states where we are relentlessly fighting to vindicate federal law.”
The Hill has reached out to Illinois’s attorney general for comment.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/doj-challenges-illinois-law-providing-in-state-tuition-to-undocumented-students/ar-AA1LJ6mG?ocid=msedgntp&pc=HCTS&cvid=68b724672d9a464c8476b1443f7a1254&ei=132