Why the Trump Administration Just Sued Massachusetts Over College Tuition

Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell, who has now filed at least 58 suits against the Trump Administration, has found herself on the receiving end of litigation. Campbell's latest suit against Trump was announced around the same time that Trump's DOJ announced it was suing Campbell.

Federal Lawsuit Targets Immigrant College Tuition

Mass Daily News reported, "The U.S. Department of Justice on Monday filed a federal lawsuit challenging the 2023 Massachusetts Tuition Equity Law, which provides in-state college tuition to illegal immigrants who graduated from a Massachusetts high school."

Courthouse News Service said Massachusetts and Rhode Island are the "latest targets of the Trump administration's attempt to roll back laws they say favor students who entered the country illegally over U.S. citizens from out-of-state."

In a statement, the Justice Department said it is challenging state laws in Massachusetts and Rhode Island "that provide in-state tuition and financial assistance to illegal aliens."

Trump Smacks Massachusetts A.G. Campbell With A Lawsuit

DOJ Claims State Policies Discriminate Against U.S. Citizens

"These laws unconstitutionally discriminate against U.S. citizens who are not afforded the same reduced tuition rates or scholarships, create incentives for illegal immigration, and reward illegal aliens with benefits that U.S. citizens are not eligible for, all in direct conflict with federal law," the DOJ said.

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A Growing National Battle Over Tuition Equity

Mass Daily News reported, "The Justice Department has so far prevailed in similar cases in Texas, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Nebraska, with actions still pending in Illinois, Minnesota, Virginia, California, New Jersey, Kansas, and Massachusetts."

According to Mass Daily News, Campbell's office indicated to the Boston Globe before the filing that Campbell "will of course defend Massachusetts law should it be challenged."

The DOJ said, "Today's filings mark three lawsuits in the past week challenging in-state tuition for illegal aliens, bringing the Department's total in this series of actions to 12."