The Trump administration just did what needed to be done years ago—they’re taking New Jersey to court for giving illegal immigrants better college deals than American citizens.
Think about that for a second: if you’re a U.S. citizen from Pennsylvania wanting to attend college in New Jersey, you’ll pay sky-high out-of-state tuition. But if you’re here illegally and went to a New Jersey high school for three years? Welcome to cheap in-state rates and state-funded scholarships.
Why This Matters for Every American Family
This isn’t just unfair—it’s unconstitutional discrimination against our own citizens. Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate put it perfectly: “This Department of Justice will not tolerate American students being treated like second-class citizens in their own country”. That’s the leadership we’ve been missing while liberal politicians – with the help of their RINO enablers – have been giving away benefits meant for Americans to people who broke our laws to get here.
How Did New Jersey Get Here?
Here’s the timeline of liberal overreach: Back in 2013, even Republican Governor Chris Christie caved to pressure and signed a law allowing in-state tuition for illegal immigrants. Then Democrat Governor Phil Murphy took it even further in 2018, opening up state-funded financial aid, scholarships, and grants to undocumented students. Now there are about 19,000 illegal immigrants enrolled in New Jersey schools getting benefits that hardworking American families can’t access.
Trump’s Winning Strategy
New Jersey is the ninth state the Trump Justice Department has sued to end these backward policies. They’ve already won permanent court orders in Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Texas blocking similar laws and declaring them unconstitutional. The administration is also going after California, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Virginia. This is what winning looks like—restoring constitutional equality and making sure American citizens come first in America.
The Bottom Line
For decades, liberal politicians have been more concerned with virtue-signaling and appeasing illegal immigrants than protecting the rights and opportunities of American citizens. These policies don’t just violate our Constitution—they tell hardworking American families that their kids matter less than people who shouldn’t even be here. President Trump is fixing that, one lawsuit at a time.
This is why we vote Republican: because conservatives actually fight for Americans instead of apologizing for putting our own people first.
The choice couldn’t be clearer.
Liberal policies tear down the equal protection our Constitution promises.
Conservative leadership restores it.
New Jersey is the latest state facing a federal lawsuit over in-state tuition benefits for undocumented immigrants. The Trump administration has launched legal action against New Jersey, challenging state laws that allow undocumented immigrants to receive in-state tuition rates and financial assistance at public colleges and universities.
The Department of Justice filed its lawsuit on April 29, 2026, making New Jersey the ninth state targeted in a nationwide campaign to end such policies.
The Federal Government’s Legal Challenge
The Justice Department argues that New Jersey’s laws unconstitutionally discriminate against U.S. citizens by providing benefits to undocumented immigrants that are not equally available to all American citizens. According to the DOJ complaint, U.S. citizens from other states pay higher out-of-state tuition rates at New Jersey colleges while undocumented students who meet certain residency requirements can qualify for reduced in-state rates and state-funded financial aid.
Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate stated, “This Department of Justice will not tolerate American students being treated like second-class citizens in their own country”. New Jersey’s Current Policy. Under existing New Jersey law, students who attend a New Jersey high school for at least three years and meet additional requirements can qualify for in-state tuition regardless of immigration status.
This policy originated with Republican Governor Chris Christie,1 who signed the initial in-state tuition law in 2013. Democratic Governor Phil Murphy expanded the benefits in 2018 to include state-funded financial assistance, scholarships, and grants for eligible undocumented students. According to Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, approximately 19,000 undocumented students were enrolled in New Jersey educational institutions in 2023.
The Administration’s Broader Campaign
New Jersey is part of a broader legal strategy by the Trump administration targeting similar policies across the country. The Justice Department has previously filed lawsuits against California, Illinois, Kentucky, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, and Virginia. The lawsuits in Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Texas have already resulted in court orders permanently blocking and declaring unconstitutional laws that provided reduced tuition to undocumented immigrants.
Let’s hope this issue ends up in the supreme court so discriminatory policies like this one can be struck down in the country as a whole.
- This should remind Republican voters that all Republicans are not created equal. Christie provides a perfect example of the difference in an “America First Republican,” and a RINO. (Republican in name only.) The best way to replace RINOs is through PRIMARY voting! ↩︎
