Judge dismisses DOJ lawsuit challenging in-state tuition for undocumented students in Minnesota

United States District Judge Katherine Menendez has dismissed the Trump administration’s challenge to Minnesota law that allows in-state tuition for undocumented students.  

The federal government sued Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) and other state officials over a law that allows undocumented students in-state tuition for college if they went to a Minnesota high school for three years.  

The Trump administration argued the law discriminates against U.S. citizens who live outside of Minnesota who do not get the cheaper in-state tuition rate.  

Menendez rejected that argument on Friday, saying the law allows anyone who went to a Minnesota high school for three years to receive in-state tuition, not just those who live in the state. 

The Hill had reached out to the Justice Department and Walz’s office for comment.  

This is one of several lawsuits the Trump administration has filed against Republican and Democratic states for allowing in-state tuition to undocumented students.  

In Texas and Oklahoma, the federal government came to an agreement with the states to end the program, but Menendez said that did not set any precedent for this case. 

“Aside from the fact they are non-binding, neither case is persuasive because the issues were not contested and thus the courts did not need to engage in meaningful analysis,” Menendez said.  

Other states, such as California, are still fighting the Trump administration on the issue.  

The ruling to dismiss the Minnesota case is the latest in the immigration battle between the Trump administration and Minnesota, which has seen huge protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the deaths of two protesters.  

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