近距离内射合集

New Mexico is one of four additional states sued by the federal government for providing in-state tuition to undocumented students.

The U.S. Department of Justice filed lawsuits against New Mexico, Arizona, Oregon and Washington on Thursday. In total, 21 states have been sued for similar reasons.

The complaint, which names the New Mexico Higher Education Department and Secretary Stephanie Rodriguez as defendants, contends that New Mexico鈥檚 policy to allow undocumented residents to pay in-state tuition at state universities is unconstitutional discrimination against U.S. citizens living in other states.

鈥淭his is a simple matter of federal law: colleges cannot provide benefits to illegal aliens that they do not provide to U.S. citizens,鈥� Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate said in a news release. 鈥淭his Department of Justice will not tolerate American students being treated like second-class citizens in their own country.鈥�

HED spokesperson Auriella Valles said the agency was aware of the suit, though it had not yet received official court documents.

鈥淣ew Mexico鈥檚 financial aid programs are designed to support residents pursuing higher education. Eligibility requirements vary across programs, but they are consistently grounded in residency and academic participation within the state,鈥� Valles said in an email. 鈥淲e are committed to ensuring that New Mexicans have reliable, structured pathways to afford and access higher education. We will continue to uphold our mission of supporting students, strengthening our workforce and advancing educational opportunity across the state.鈥�

New Mexico has been granting in-state tuition to undocumented students 鈥� who are not eligible for federal student loans or financial aid 鈥� since the passage of Senate Bill 582 in 2005.

The bill affords in-state tuition rates to students who attended a New Mexico middle or high school for at least one year, graduated from a New Mexico high school or received a GED in the state, regardless of immigration status. It has since been codified in state law.

The DOJ lawsuit seeks to strike down the state law as unconstitutional and establish a permanent injunction prohibiting New Mexico from granting in-state tuition or financial aid to undocumented students.

New Mexico offers free tuition to virtually all documented and undocumented residents at the state鈥檚 29 four-year and two-year colleges via the Lottery and Opportunity Scholarships. Nonresidents who attend the state鈥檚 flagship university, the University of New Mexico, pay $34,734 in tuition and fees per year.

Similar lawsuits against Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska and Kentucky have proved successful for the Trump administration 鈥� those states have ended their in-state tuition policies since they were sued.

鈥淥ver 30 years ago, Congress made clear that states cannot put illegal aliens before our nation鈥檚 own citizens,鈥� Associate Attorney General Stanley E. Woodward Jr. said in a statement. 鈥淏y granting illegal aliens in-state tuition, Washington, Oregon, New Mexico, and Arizona are pushing citizens to the side and ignoring federal law. No more.鈥�

Natalie Robbins covers education for the Journal. You can reach her at nrobbins@abqjournal.com.