DOJ Targets Utah’s Undocumented Tuition Law | Salt Lake City News

0:00So, the Department of Justice is coming down on Utah. They're suing the state because some undocumented students are getting in-state tuition rates at public colleges. The feds are saying this breaks federal law and gives an unfair advantage to folks who aren't legally here, over citizens who don't get that same. Deal. This whole thing goes back to a law passed in 2002. This isn't the first time the DOJ has gone after states for this. They've already sued 21 other states with similar tuition policies. Parts and six of those states have already ruled that these in-state tuition laws are unconstitutional. So Utah is kind of joining a club of states that have faced this legal challenge. The Utah system of higher education, which is named in the lawsuit, put out a statement saying that education is at the core of what they do. It's a tough situation, balancing state policies with federal regulations, especially when it comes to access to education for young people who grew. Up in the state, the law in Utah specifically applies to undocumented students who have

1:01graduated from a Utah high school and have applied for legal residency. They're not eligible for federal financial aid, but they can get some state scholarships. It's a specific car about that the DOJ is now targeting. This lawsuit is still developing, and it's part of a larger effort by the Department of Justice to challenge these types of tuition policies across the country. You'll have to see how this plays out in court and what it means for other states with similar programs. That's the story for today, Salt Lake City News Today, driven by AI.