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DOJ Sues New York, Connecticut, Vermont Over Immigrant Tuition.

8/11/2026

50 7 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

On August 10, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice sued New York, Connecticut and Vermont to block state laws granting in-state tuition and scholarships to immigrants.
Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward said the states “put illegal aliens over citizens” and vowed to keep suing.
The DOJ has sued 17 states, citing rulings in Texas, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Illinois, and has pending lawsuits in ten additional states.

History

Historical Context

In 1982 the Supreme Court’s 6-2 decision in Plyler v. Doe barred states from denying K-12 public education to undocumented children under the Fourteenth Amendment. It relied on the 1898 Wong Kim Ark ruling that birth on U.S. soil grants citizenship regardless of parents’ status. The DOJ’s suit against New York, Connecticut and Vermont now revives that federal-state clash.

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Story summary

On August 10, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice sued New York, Connecticut and Vermont to block state laws granting in-state tuition and scholarships to immigrants.
Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward said the states “put illegal aliens over citizens” and vowed to keep suing.
The DOJ has sued 17 states, citing rulings in Texas, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Illinois, and has pending lawsuits in ten additional states.

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