DOJ Sues Minnesota Over College Aid for Undocumented Immigrants Amid National Legal Showdown
The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against the state of Minnesota and its Democratic Governor Tim Walz, challenging a state program that provides college financial aid to undocumented immigrants.
This legal challenge follows similar moves by the DOJ in Texas and Kentucky, where the agency has taken steps to block or reverse policies granting public benefits to non-citizens. The lawsuit alleges that the Minnesota initiative violates federal law by prioritizing aid to undocumented residents over U.S. citizens from out of state.
“Americans Should Come First,” Says DOJ
In a statement on Friday, Attorney General Pam Bondi criticized the Minnesota program, calling it an unfair policy that disadvantages American citizens.
“No state can be allowed to treat Americans like second-class citizens by giving financial aid to illegal immigrants,” Bondi said. “We recently secured a legal victory on this issue in Texas, and we are confident the same will happen in Minnesota.”
The case targets the Minnesota Dream Act, a 2013 policy that allows certain undocumented students to qualify for in-state tuition and state financial aid if they meet residency and graduation requirements. While initially hailed as a progressive step toward education access, the program has now come under sharp federal scrutiny.
The DOJ argues that the financial assistance structure places out-of-state U.S. citizens at a disadvantage, as they must pay higher tuition rates than undocumented residents who meet Minnesota residency criteria.
Walz and State Officials Named in Suit
The lawsuit also names the Minnesota Office of Higher Education and State Attorney General Keith Ellison as defendants. It comes weeks after an executive order by President Trump, instructing federal agencies to eliminate policies that appear to prioritize undocumented individuals over citizens.
Governor Walz, who previously ran as the Democratic vice-presidential nominee in the 2024 election, responded to the federal action by saying the lawsuit is “part of a larger political agenda” and vowed to defend Minnesota’s commitment to educational access for all residents, regardless of immigration status.
Major Supreme Court Ruling Limits Federal Injunctions
Separately, Bondi celebrated a major legal victory at the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled 6-3 to curb federal judges from issuing nationwide injunctions that block presidential policies across the country.
The decision came in response to ongoing challenges against President Trump’s birthright citizenship executive order, which was previously stalled by multiple lower courts. The new ruling now restricts the ability of individual district courts to halt executive actions nationwide.
“This is a critical win for presidential authority,” Bondi said in a post on X (formerly Twitter). “Our legal team, along with Solicitor General John Sauer, has worked tirelessly to ensure the president’s policies are not blocked arbitrarily across the country.”
The high court’s decision marks a major shift in how legal challenges to presidential actions will be handled going forward. Legal experts say it sets the stage for a possible Supreme Court showdown over birthright citizenship when the justices return in October.
As legal battles unfold across states over education aid, immigration, and executive power, the court’s recent moves and DOJ’s lawsuits may reshape the nation’s legal landscape leading into the next election cycle.