The Department of Justice filed federal complaints Monday against Massachusetts and Rhode Island, alleging the states have unconstitutionally provided in-state tuition rates and financial aid to illegal immigrants while withholding the same benefits to U.S. citizens from out of state.
The lawsuits come amid a series of actions brought by the Trump administration focusing on state policies that it argues reward illegal immigration at a cost to American citizens. The department has filed a total of 12 lawsuits, with some prior cases concluding in victory for the Trump administration.
“The Department of Justice is committed to fulfilling President [Donald] Trump’s promise that illegal aliens will not receive taxpayer benefits or preferential treatment over America’s own citizens,” Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward said in a statement. “As our Nation marks 250 years of freedom, we will continue to challenge state laws that place aliens over citizens in clear defiance of Congress’s commands.”…