President Donald Trump’s administration has launched legal action against the state of Minnesota and its higher education department over policies offering college tuition benefits for undocumented students who reside here.
The U.S. Department of Justice in a lawsuit filed Wednesday sued Gov. Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison and the state’s Office of Higher Education over the state’s laws allowing non-U.S. citizens residing in Minnesota to qualify for in-state tuition rates.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, argues the state is “flagrantly violating” federal law by allowing reduced, in-state tuition rates to undocumented Minnesota students per a 2013 law that federal officials argue discriminates against out-of-state students.
The Justice Department cited the $18,094 tuition price for Minnesota residents at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities for the 2025-2026 school year versus $40,556 for out-of-state students.
“The magnitude of this discrimination against U.S. citizens is substantial,” the suit said.
The law allows undocumented students to qualify for the in-state tuition rate if they meet certain requirements, including documentation that they’ve applied for legal status, the suit states. The administration also took aim at the North Star Promise Program that went into effect last year, arguing the program that offers free tuition for certain students in the state’s college systems can be utilized by undocumented students but unfairly excludes non-Minnesota residents.
In a statement to the Star Tribune, Attorney General spokesperson Brian Evans said “We are reviewing the lawsuit andwill vigorously defend the state’s prerogative to offer affordable tuition to both citizen and non-citizen state residents.”
A spokesperson for the Office of Higher Education declined to comment.
