DOJ sues Minnesota over in-state tuition for undocumented students

司法部就无证学生的州内学费起诉明尼苏达州

Dive Brief:

潜水简报：

The U.S. Department of Justice is suing Minnesota for allowing undocumented college students to pay in-state tuition rates and, in some cases, attend public colleges at no cost.

美国。司法部正在起诉明尼苏达州允许无证大学生支付州内学费，在某些情况下，免费上公立大学。

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi argued Wednesday that in-state tuition rates for undocumented students illegally provide benefits not offered to all U.S. citizens. But student advocates and proponents of such policies note that participating states do not have different sets of requirements for U.S. citizens and undocumented residents.

美国司法部长帕姆·邦迪周三辩称，无证学生的州内学费非法提供了并非所有美国公民都能享受的福利。但学生倡导者和此类政策的支持者指出，参与州对美国公民和无证居民没有不同的要求。

DOJ's lawsuit is the department's third action against in-state tuition policy for undocumented students this month. The agency sued Kentucky over its policy last week, after working with Texas to strike down that state's version of the practice.

DOJ的诉讼是该部门本月针对州内无证学生学费政策的第三次行动。该机构上周就肯塔基州的政策起诉了肯塔基州，此前该机构与德克萨斯州合作废除了该州的做法。

Dive Insight:

潜水洞察：

As of May, 24 states and Washington, D.C., had policies allowing undocumented students to pay in-state rates at some or all public colleges. However, Florida’s law is set to be revoked effective July 1 following a push from conservative state legislators. And Texas officials joined the DOJ in revoking its 24-year-old policy earlier this month, following a lawsuit from the federal agency.

截至5月，24个州和华盛顿特区制定了政策，允许无证学生在部分或所有公立大学支付州内费用。然而，在保守派州议员的推动下，佛罗里达州的法律将于7月1日被撤销。本月早些时候，在联邦机构提起诉讼后，德克萨斯州官员与DOJ一起撤销了其已有24年历史的政策。

Now, the Trump administration is continuing its crusade against in-state tuition for undocumented students by targeting Minnesota and Kentucky.

现在，特朗普政府正在继续打击无证学生的州内学费，目标是明尼苏达州和肯塔基州。

While Minnesota oversees prominent refugee resettlement efforts, it isn't known for a significant population of undocumented students.

虽然明尼苏达州监督着著名的难民安置工作，但它并不以大量无证学生而闻名。

One analysis found that too few undocumented students attended Minnesota colleges in 2021 to be counted. The same was true for Kentucky. By comparison, 59,000 undocumented students attended Texas colleges that year.

一项分析发现，2021年就读于明尼苏达州大学的无证学生太少，无法统计。肯塔基州也是如此。相比之下，当年有59,000名无证学生就读于德克萨斯州的大学。

Still, Bondi argued that the two states' policies illegally prioritize these students over U.S. citizens.

尽管如此，邦迪认为，这两个州的政策非法地将这些学生置于美国公民之上。

“No state can be allowed to treat Americans like second-class citizens," she said in a Wednesday statement. “The Department of Justice just won on this exact issue in Texas, and we look forward to taking this fight to Minnesota in order to protect the rights of American citizens first.”

“不能允许任何州像对待二等公民一样对待美国人，”她在周三的声明中说，“司法部刚刚在得克萨斯州就这一确切问题取得胜利，我们期待将这场斗争带到明尼苏达州，以便首先保护美国公民的权利。”

Bondi issued a nearly identical statement last week when her department announced its lawsuit against Kentucky.

邦迪上周发表了一份几乎相同的声明，当时她的部门宣布对肯塔基州提起诉讼。

In Minnesota, an undocumented student is eligible for in-state tuition rates and state financial aid if they attended a Minnesota high school for at least three years and graduated from high school or earned a GED in the state.

在明尼苏达州，如果无证学生在明尼苏达州高中就读至少三年并高中毕业或在该州获得GED，则有资格获得州内学费和州经济援助。

State law also requires undocumented students to show they have applied for lawful immigration status through a federal pathway. However, this condition is currently waived, as no such system exists.

州法律还要求无证学生证明他们已经通过联邦途径申请了合法移民身份。然而，这一条件目前被免除，因为不存在这样的系统。

Furthermore, Minnesota residents — including undocumented students — can attend public colleges at no cost if their families make less than $80,000 annually. The state's North Star Promise Scholarship, a last-dollar program, covers participating students’ remaining tuition and fees after all other scholarships and grants are applied.

此外，明尼苏达州居民——包括无证学生——如果家庭年收入低于8万美元，可以免费上公立大学。该州的北极星承诺奖学金是一项最后一美元的计划，涵盖参与学生在申请所有其他奖学金和助学金后的剩余学杂费。

Texas' rapid assent to DOJ's demands gave the Trump administration an early win. But Minnesota and Kentucky may be less likely to acquiesce to the federal government's demands.

得克萨斯州迅速同意DOJ的要求，让特朗普政府提前获胜。但明尼苏达州和肯塔基州可能不太可能默认联邦政府的要求。

The Minnesota Legislature is partially under Democratic control. And Gov. Tim Walz — the Democratic vice presidential candidate in 2024 — is known for promoting progressive ideals. Kentucky, while controlled legislatively by Republicans, has a Democratic governor, Andy Beshear, who is a vocal critic of President Donald Trump.

明尼苏达州立法机构部分受民主党控制。2024年民主党副总统候选人蒂姆·沃尔兹(Tim Walz)州长以宣扬进步理想而闻名。肯塔基州虽然在立法上由共和党控制，但有一位民主党州长安迪·贝希尔，他是唐纳德·特朗普总统的直言不讳的批评者。