The Department of Justice, under the leadership of Attorney General Pam Bondi, has launched a lawsuit against the state of Minnesota and Democrat Governor Tim Walz for funneling taxpayer-funded financial aid to illegal immigrants under the state’s controversial higher education initiative.

The lawsuit follows similar action previously taken in Texas and Kentucky, where federal legal pressure has already forced policy reversals or legal standoffs. According to The Blaze, the DOJ is making it clear: rewarding illegal entry with financial perks is unconstitutional — and un-American.

“No state can be allowed to treat Americans like second-class citizens in their own country by offering financial benefits to illegal aliens,” said Bondi in a fiery statement Friday. “The Department of Justice just won on this exact issue in Texas, and we look forward to taking this fight to Minnesota in order to protect the rights of American citizens first.”

The lawsuit takes direct aim at the Minnesota Dream Act, passed in 2013, which extends in-state tuition rates and state-funded financial aid to illegal immigrants residing in the state. According to Politico, the DOJ argues this policy unlawfully discriminates against U.S. citizens — particularly those from outside Minnesota who are forced to pay out-of-state tuition rates.

“The magnitude of this discrimination against U.S. citizens is substantial,” the DOJ emphasized. “The cost of tuition for resident students is significantly lower than for U.S. citizens that are not in-state residents.”

Named in the suit alongside Governor Walz are the Minnesota Office of Higher Education and State Attorney General Keith Ellison, both of whom have supported the program. The legal action aligns with President Donald J. Trump’s April executive order, which directed federal agencies to dismantle policies that give illegal immigrants preferential treatment over American citizens.

Governor Walz — best known nationally for his failed run as the Democrat vice-presidential candidate in 2024 — has remained defiant, but even he acknowledged in a post-election interview that the country “was not ready” for the far-left agenda he and his running mate tried to sell to voters.

The DOJ’s legal campaign also arrives on the heels of a massive conservative legal victory at the Supreme Court.

Attorney General Bondi celebrated Friday’s 6–3 Supreme Court ruling that dealt a serious blow to liberal judicial overreach. The high court ruled that nationwide injunctions, a favorite tool of activist judges trying to block President Trump’s executive orders, are no longer allowed in most circumstances.

“Today, the Supreme Court instructed district courts to STOP the endless barrage of nationwide injunctions against President Trump,” Bondi declared on X. “This would not have been possible without tireless work from our excellent lawyers @TheJusticeDept and our Solicitor General John Sauer. This Department of Justice will continue to zealously defend @POTUS’s policies and his authority to implement them.”

The ruling was a direct response to efforts by lower courts to block Trump’s executive order restricting birthright citizenship. That order — still working its way through the courts — declares that children born on U.S. soil are only eligible for automatic citizenship if at least one parent is a citizen or permanent resident.

The Federalist’s Margot Cleveland explained that Friday’s ruling lets the policy take effect in some areas of the country, for now, and dramatically curtails the ability of activist judges to issue nationwide blocks.

The case — and the broader issue of birthright citizenship — is expected to reach final resolution in the Supreme Court’s upcoming session. The stakes are high: according to the Migration Policy Institute, approximately 255,000 babies are born every year in the U.S. to illegal immigrants or temporary visa holders — all of whom would lose automatic citizenship under the Trump order.

For now, the DOJ is making one thing clear: illegal immigration will not be rewarded with taxpayer subsidies, and the Trump administration is done playing defense.