Judge scraps Trump challenge to in-state tuition for immigrant students in Virginia

A federal judge in Richmond granted summary judgment to Virginia on Monday, rejecting the Trump administration's claim that the 2020 Virginia Dream Act illegally favors immigrant students over out-of-state residents in tuition pricing.

Judge Robert Payne, a George H.W. Bush appointee, found neither the domicile pathway nor the tuition equity pathway runs afoul of a 1996 federal law barring residency-based tuition benefits for immigrants without extending the same to out-of-state citizens. He noted the tuition equity path is based on things like high school attendance and graduation in Virginia, not residency itself, and pointed out Maryland and West Virginia residents who attend Virginia border schools can also qualify.

Virginia's Attorney General called it a win for students and the commonwealth's future; the Justice Department, likely to appeal, did not respond to requests for comment. The administration has filed similar suits against New Jersey, Minnesota, California and Illinois.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.