President Donald Trump's Department of Justice filed a complaint Tuesday challenging a Kentucky law that allows undocumented immigrants to pay in-state tuition.
The complaint contends that the Kentucky law is illegal because it provides a benefit to undocumented immigrants that is not available to U.S. residents. Earlier this month, a federal court in Texas enjoined the state from offering similar benefits to undocumented immigrants.
“No state can be allowed to treat Americans like second-class citizens in their own country by offering financial benefits to illegal aliens,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a news release. “The Department of Justice just won on this exact issue in Texas, and we look forward to fighting in Kentucky to protect the rights of American citizens.”
The lawsuit is another example of the Trump administration attempting to balance competing political priorities. On one hand, Trump has staked his political reputation on reducing federal expenditures and enforcing immigration laws. But those focus areas hurt red states as badly as they hurt blue states.
For instance, the Trump administration's efforts to shut down the Department of Education would cause states that Trump won in the 2024 election, like Texas, Ohio, and Florida, to lose billions in public school funding.
The workplace raids conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents also hurt agricultural states like Nebraska.
Data from the Association of Independent Kentucky Colleges and Universities found that higher education institutions contribute roughly $2 billion annually to the state's GDP.
Trump won Kentucky by more than 30 points during the 2024 election, making it one of the largest margins of victory out of any Republican-controlled state.