The Department of Justice building is shown in Washington, D.C. The department has filed complaints against three more states -- New York, Connecticut and Vermont -- alleging that tuition laws benefiting undocumented students are discriminatory. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo
Aug. 10 (UPI) -- The U.S. Justice Department on Monday filed complaints against New York, Connecticut and Vermont over state laws that allow undocumented students to pay in-state tuition rates at public colleges and universities.
The department said in a release that the "Dream Act" laws "seek to undermine our nation by placing aliens over citizens in clear defiance of Congress' commands."
"Congress long ago made clear that states cannot put illegal aliens over our nation's own citizens," Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward said. "By granting illegal aliens in-state tuition, New York, Vermont and Connecticut are doing just that."
This makes 17 states targeted by the Justice Department over the laws, which it says discriminate against the citizens who pay higher out-of-state tuition rates. Undocumented students also can apply for financial aid in some states.
