Overview

• The Justice Department filed a federal complaint on June 25 challenging Minnesota’s 2013 Dream Act and North Star Promise scholarship program for undocumented students.
• The lawsuit names Gov. Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison and the Office of Higher Education as defendants and seeks to enjoin the state from enforcing its tuition provisions.
• The DOJ argues federal law bars postsecondary education benefits for illegal aliens that are denied to U.S. citizens, citing recent executive orders and a Texas court injunction.
• Minnesota officials have pledged to vigorously defend the residency-based policy as lawful and essential to supporting immigrant integration in college campuses.
• The case follows similar suits in Texas and Kentucky and could reshape in-state tuition eligibility for undocumented students across at least 25 states.