Kentucky Ends In-State Tuition Discounts for Illegal Immigrants Following DOJ Lawsuit Led by Pam Bondi
Across the country, Democrat-run states have been quietly rigging the system, offering in-state tuition rates to illegal immigrants while forcing legal foreign students with valid visas to pay out-of-state prices that can be three times higher. Kentucky was one of these states, charging international students who followed every rule the maximum rate while subsidizing those who entered illegally. Your tax dollars were literally rewarding lawbreaking over law-abiding behavior. (And they wonder why we’re angry?)
The Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education had been operating this scheme through an administrative regulation that directly violated federal law. Meanwhile, American citizens from neighboring states and legal foreign students were told to pay up or stay out. The message was clear: following the rules makes you a sucker in these Democrat-controlled institutions. Well, was—Trump’s team is changing the game.
But Attorney General Pam Bondi just blew the whistle on this rigged game. In June, she filed a lawsuit against Kentucky that has now resulted in a complete reversal of the illegal tuition policy. The state has agreed to end the practice of giving illegal immigrants benefits that aren’t available to every American citizen, marking another victory for the rule of law under the Trump administration.
No state can be allowed to treat Americans like second-class citizens in their own country by offering financial benefits to illegal aliens. Under current federal law, any illegal immigrant is barred from eligibility for postsecondary education benefits, like in-state tuition, unless the same benefits are offered to every U.S. citizen.
The law Bondi enforced, 18 USC 1623, couldn’t be clearer: if you’re giving tuition breaks to illegals, you have to give them to everyone. Kentucky wasn’t doing that. They were discriminating against Americans and legal residents to subsidize lawbreakers. This wasn’t some obscure technicality – it was a blatant violation that Kentucky officials knew about but ignored until federal prosecutors forced their hand.
The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund tried to intervene, admitting in court filings that ending the illegal subsidy would cause tuition for these students to increase by 152 percent, from $446 to $897 per semester credit hour. Think about that number. Kentucky taxpayers were covering more than half the real cost of education for people who shouldn’t even be here, while their own kids struggled with student loans.
The Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education had been operating this scheme through an administrative regulation that directly violated federal law. Meanwhile, American citizens from neighboring states and legal foreign students were told to pay up or stay out. The message was clear: following the rules makes you a sucker in these Democrat-controlled institutions. Well, was—Trump’s team is changing the game.
But Attorney General Pam Bondi just blew the whistle on this rigged game. In June, she filed a lawsuit against Kentucky that has now resulted in a complete reversal of the illegal tuition policy. The state has agreed to end the practice of giving illegal immigrants benefits that aren’t available to every American citizen, marking another victory for the rule of law under the Trump administration.
No state can be allowed to treat Americans like second-class citizens in their own country by offering financial benefits to illegal aliens. Under current federal law, any illegal immigrant is barred from eligibility for postsecondary education benefits, like in-state tuition, unless the same benefits are offered to every U.S. citizen.
The law Bondi enforced, 18 USC 1623, couldn’t be clearer: if you’re giving tuition breaks to illegals, you have to give them to everyone. Kentucky wasn’t doing that. They were discriminating against Americans and legal residents to subsidize lawbreakers. This wasn’t some obscure technicality – it was a blatant violation that Kentucky officials knew about but ignored until federal prosecutors forced their hand.
The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund tried to intervene, admitting in court filings that ending the illegal subsidy would cause tuition for these students to increase by 152 percent, from $446 to $897 per semester credit hour. Think about that number. Kentucky taxpayers were covering more than half the real cost of education for people who shouldn’t even be here, while their own kids struggled with student loans.
70-79, M
