Overview
- Filed in the Eastern District of California, the suit names the state, Gov. Gavin Newsom, Attorney General Rob Bonta, and the governing boards of UC, CSU, and the California Community Colleges.
- Federal lawyers seek injunctions against AB 540’s in-state tuition eligibility and California Dream Act provisions that provide state scholarships and subsidized loans.
- The Justice Department bases its challenge on 8 U.S.C. § 1623 and points to recent executive orders directing agencies to restrict benefits to immigrants living in the U.S. unlawfully.
- California officials and university leaders defended the policies, with Newsom calling the action politically motivated and UC saying its practices align with current legal standards.
- Tens of thousands of students could be affected—estimates range from roughly 80,000 to about 103,000—and the case follows similar DOJ actions that helped prompt rollbacks in states such as Texas and Florida.