What we know
What we know: Trump administration sues Penn State over in-state tuition for students in the US illegally
Compiled Nov 5
What we know
- The Department of Justice filed a complaint Thursday against Penn State challenging its in-state tuition policy for some immigrants in the country illegally
- The lawsuit is part of a sweeping crackdown by President Donald Trump's administration
- Two dozen states once offered tuition breaks to immigrants in the country illegally, which often had bipartisan support
- As the Trump administration began suing last year, these policies ended in Kentucky, Illinois, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas and Florida
- More recent challenges have targeted individual schools, including a lawsuit filed last month against the University of Delaware
- The federal government argues federal law prevents states from providing preferential benefits to immigrants in the U.S. illegally, regardless of residency requirements
What we don’t know yet
- A Penn State spokesperson said the university was aware of the complaint and reviewing it, with no further comment given
Open questions
- How will Penn State respond to the complaint beyond reviewing it?
- Will other individual universities face similar lawsuits next?
- How might the midterm election results affect future immigration and education policy in this area?
- Will courts side with the federal government's interpretation of federal law on this issue?
Drawn from the Associated Press report. “What we don’t know” lists only what the reporting itself flags as unresolved.