Court Ruling Supports In-State Tuition for Undocumented Students in Minnesota

Sat Mar 28 2026 03:56:27 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

A federal judge has ruled that Minnesota universities can offer in-state tuition and scholarships to some undocumented immigrants, challenging a lawsuit from the Justice Department.

In a significant decision, a federal judge in Minnesota declared that public universities can continue providing in-state tuition and scholarships to certain immigrants without legal status. The ruling dismissed a lawsuit from the Department of Justice which argued that state policies discriminated against U.S. citizens. Judge Katherine Menendez stated that the government failed to prove its case and highlighted Minnesota's commitment to supporting a more educated workforce. This ruling underscores ongoing tensions between state and federal immigration policies.

Minnesota public universities can continue offering in-state tuition and scholarships to undocumented immigrants, as ruled by a federal judge on Friday. This ruling nullified a lawsuit by the Department of Justice aimed at stopping these programs.

The ruling is part of an ongoing struggle between Minnesota officials and the federal government over immigration enforcement. Judge Katherine Menendez indicated that the Justice Department did not successfully demonstrate that the state’s policies unjustly favored immigrants over U.S. citizens.

This lawsuit, led by the Justice Department, included prominent Minnesota figures such as Governor Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison as defendants. It claimed that state laws giving in-state tuition benefits to undocumented students who attended high school in Minnesota were discriminatory against U.S. citizens.

Menendez’s ruling highlights a commitment to bolstering the state’s workforce by making education accessible to a more diverse population, reinforcing Minnesota's laws recognizing the rights of all graduates, irrespective of their immigration status.

The Justice Department has been active in pursuing similar cases, recently targeting states like Texas and Kentucky. However, many Democratic and even some Republican-leaning states continue to provide these tuition benefits to attract and educate future generations.