Walz’s Dream Act Nightmare
While the majority of Americans are calling for more immigration enforcement, left-wing politicians and their fellow travelers in academia carry on in denial of this reality and pretend their outdated ideas have popular support.
The latest example of this delusion can be found in Minnesota, where current governor and failed vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz, along with the state legislature, proudly award in-state tuition to illegal aliens while making American citizens from other states pay bloated out-of-state tuition fees. The Department of Justice has responded with a lawsuit to stop the policy.
The practice of granting in-state tuition rates to illegal aliens while charging out-of-state U.S. citizens higher fees is not only discriminatory but also a direct violation of federal statutes. Minnesota’s policy, along with similar ones in other states, has helped create a de facto two-tiered society where illegal aliens are granted privileges that exceed those afforded to U.S. citizens.
The core issue lies in Minnesota’s statutes, including the Minnesota Dream Act and the North Star Promise program, which allow illegal aliens who meet certain residency criteria—such as attending a Minnesota high school for three years and graduating—to pay in-state tuition rates at public colleges and universities. In some cases, these students also qualify for free tuition if their families earn less than $80,000 annually. Meanwhile, U.S. citizens from other states face tuition costs that can be more than double, with in-state tuition averaging $12,873 and out-of-state tuition at $26,719 for the 2024-2025 school year.
In its brief supporting the Justice Department’s case, attorneys from my organization, the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), argued that the state’s policy violates the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996. This federal law prohibits states from offering in-state tuition to illegal aliens based on residency unless the same benefit is extended to all U.S. citizens, regardless of their state of residence. Minnesota’s attempt to sidestep this law by tying tuition benefits to high school attendance rather than residency is a clever device that FAIR calls out as a flimsy workaround.
Minnesota is not alone in this practice. At least 23 states including California, New York, Kansas, and Nebraska, as well as the District of Columbia have similar policies. California’s AB 540, for example, allows alien students who meet residency requirements to pay in-state tuition, while out-of-state U.S. citizens face significantly higher costs. These policies create a perverse incentive structure, rewarding illegal presence while penalizing American citizens who reside outside the state.
The Trump administration’s lawsuit follows successful challenges in Texas, where the state repealed its in-state tuition policy for illegal students hours after a federal lawsuit was filed, and in Florida, which ended its policy in February of this year. The message is clear: States cannot flout federal law to grant illegal aliens benefits while at the same time withholding them from citizens.
Lost on politicians in Minnesota and other states sharing this progressive mindset regarding illegal immigrants is that their actions create a stunning hypocrisy. They argue that foreigners breaking our laws—who belong outside of our national borders—should receive tuition benefits, while simultaneously arguing that U.S. citizens who happen to live outside of their states’ borders should not get those benefits.
While activists push the personal stories of immigration “dreamers” to evoke sympathy, the law is clear, and fairness must prevail. Illegal aliens, regardless of circumstance, are not entitled to benefits that discriminate against American citizens. As FAIR’s brief argues, Minnesota’s policy not only violates federal law but also undermines the principle that legal residency in the United States should confer equal treatment. Moreover, the financial burden for this unwarranted, illegal largesse is significant. In Minnesota, 139 undocumented students received $383,273.90 through the North Star Promise scholarship in the past school year alone. This diverts resources from American citizens who face higher costs for the simple reason that their families live across state lines.
The broader implications of these policies extend beyond tuition. They signal a troubling willingness by state governments and institutions to prioritize political agendas over the rule of law. The denizens of Walz’s administration, like those who populate academia, seem more concerned with bending the knee to progressive, anti-borders ideals than they are with upholding fairness. The Trump administration’s legal challenges, including those in Minnesota, Kentucky, and Texas, are a necessary correction. They remind us that federal law exists to protect American citizens first, not to subsidize benefits for those who bypass legal immigration processes.
https://chroniclesmagazine.org/web/walzs-dream-act-nightmare