U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton have issued statements after a federal judge formally enjoined Texas from providing in-state tuition for illegal aliens.
“The Justice Department commends Texas leadership and AG Ken Paxton for swiftly working with us to halt a program that was treating Americans like second-class citizens in their own country,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi.
Bondi added, “Other states should take note that we will continue filing affirmative litigation to remedy unconstitutional state laws that discriminate against American citizens.”
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton stated that he was “proud” to stand with the attorney general and the President Donald Trump administration to stop “an unconstitutional and un-American law” that gave in-state tuition to illegal aliens.
“This law was an insult to our nation’s citizens and has now been rightly stopped from being enforced,” stated Paxton. “I will continue to fight for the American people and work swiftly to defeat any policy that puts illegal aliens ahead of our own citizens.”
The motion came just hours after the department filed a complaint in the Northern District of Texas seeking to enjoin enforcement of Texas laws that required colleges and universities to provide in-state tuition rates for all aliens who maintain Texas residency, regardless of their legal status.
Federal law prohibits institutions of higher education from providing benefits to aliens that are not offered to U.S. citizens. The Texas laws were in direct conflict with federal law and the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution.
