Pam Bondi: ‘No State Can Treat Americans Like Second-Class Citizens‘
The U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit this week against the state of Minnesota, accusing it of unlawfully giving tuition and college aid perks to noncitizens—benefits not equally available to American citizens.
Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, a key figure in the Trump DOJ team, slammed the state’s policy as blatantly discriminatory.
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“No state can treat Americans like second-class citizens,” Bondi said. “The Trump administration will fight for equal protection under the law—no matter what state you live in.”
The lawsuit, which names Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as a defendant, points to policies that grant in-state tuition and state financial aid to undocumented immigrants while denying similar benefits to out-of-state American citizens and legal residents.
This legal action comes just weeks after the DOJ prevailed in a similar case against Texas, where courts sided with the administration’s position that states must treat American citizens at least as well as noncitizens when it comes to publicly funded benefits.
Critics say Minnesota’s policy sends the wrong message about citizenship and the value of legal status.
“This is about fairness,” Bondi added. “Why should an American citizen from Iowa or the Dakotas pay more to attend college in Minnesota than someone who entered the country illegally?”
Governor Walz’s office has yet to comment on the lawsuit, though progressive organizations in the state have promised to defend the tuition policy.
The case could have broad implications as other blue states consider or have already implemented similar benefits for undocumented immigrants, often funded by taxpayer dollars.
