The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against Connecticut over state laws that provide in-state tuition and financial assistance to students who are illegal immigrants. The lawsuit argues that these laws unfairly give benefits to students without legal status while denying the same benefits to U.S. citizens who live outside the state.
Background
Connecticut first provided in-state tuition benefits to students who are illegal immigrants under a 2011 state law, which required them to have attended high school in Connecticut for four years and earned a diploma. The state later reduced the high school attendance requirement to two years in 2015. In 2018, Connecticut passed another law allowing students without permanent legal status to apply for and receive institutional aid at public colleges and universities.
The Trump administration has filed similar lawsuits challenging higher-education benefits in 16 other states. Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division stated, “This is a simple matter of federal law: colleges cannot provide benefits to illegal aliens that they do not provide to U.S. citizens.”
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong and Gov. Lamont have defended the state’s policies, saying they will not let the Trump administration dictate how the state provides education to its residents. Tong stated, “Note to Trump — stay out of Connecticut… Connecticut offers in-state tuition and financial aid to all eligible Connecticut students because all kids deserve the opportunity to learn, to advance, and to achieve their dreams.”
Original reporting: The Connecticut Mirror — read the source article.
