The Justice Department announced Monday that it has now filed 17 lawsuits targeting state laws that grant in-state tuition rates and related benefits to illegal immigrants while denying the same advantages to U.S. citizens from other states.

The latest complaints challenge laws in New York, Connecticut, and Vermont. Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward said the suits enforce longstanding federal law that prohibits states from favoring illegal aliens over American citizens. “By granting illegal aliens in-state tuition, New York, Vermont, and Connecticut are doing just that. No more,” Woodward stated.

Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate of the Civil Division added that colleges cannot provide benefits to illegal aliens that are not available to all U.S. citizens. The Connecticut complaint notes that the state has extended in-state tuition eligibility to illegal immigrants since a 2011 law, while requiring out-of-state U.S. citizens to pay higher non-resident rates. It also challenges related programs for financial aid, community college funding, scholarships, and student loan reimbursements.

Under Attorney General Todd Blanche, similar lawsuits have already produced permanent injunctions in Texas, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Illinois, including a ruling from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Additional cases remain pending in Minnesota, Virginia, California, New Jersey, Kansas, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maryland, and Colorado.

The actions follow President Donald Trump’s April 2025 executive order directing the attorney general to address state and local policies that unlawfully prioritize illegal aliens over American citizens, specifically citing in-state tuition benefits as an example.