DOJ sues Texas over in-state tuition for students without legal status

KERA | By Bill Zeeble

Published June 4, 2025 at 3:56 PM CDT

Students walk on the University of Texas at Arlington campus in this Feb. 19, 2025 file photo. The U.S. Department of Justice Department is seeking to block Texas from providing in-state tuition to students in the country without legal status.

The federal Justice Department on Wednesday filed a complaint to stop Texas from giving in-state tuition to immigrant students without legal status.

In a press release, the U.S. Justice Department said Texas unconstitutionally discriminates against U.S. citizens who aren't afforded the same privileges.

"The Justice Department will relentlessly fight to vindicate federal law and ensure that U.S. citizens are not treated like second-class citizens anywhere in the country," Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in the statement.

Texas, the complaint reads, allows students "who are not lawfully present in the United States to qualify for reduced tuition at public state colleges, even as U.S. citizens from other states must pay higher tuition rates."

DOJ said the policy conflicts with federal law. In 2001 Texas became the first state to pass a law allowing students without legal status to receive in-state tuition if they meet certain requirements, the AP reports.

This is a breaking story and will be updated as we gather more information.

Bill Zeeble is KERA's education reporter. Got a tip? Email Bill at bzeeble@kera.org. You can follow him on X @bzeeble.

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