Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, flanked by Illinois Senate President Don Harmon, left, and House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, right | Office of the Governor
By Jonathan Bilyk | Legal Newsline
EAST ST. LOUIS — Illinois can’t give illegal immigrants special in-state discounts on college tuition or special grants to attend the state’s public colleges and universities, a federal judge has ruled.
On July 24, U.S. District Judge David W. Dugan ruled Illinois Democratic lawmakers and Gov. JB Pritzker violated federal law and the U.S. Constitution by enacting laws specifically designed to allow illegal immigrants to attend Illinois public colleges and universities at the same tuition rate normally reserved for U.S. citizens and legal non-citizens who live in Illinois.
In the ruling, Dugan said the Illinois laws, known as the RISE Act and the Illinois DREAM Act, illegally give illegal immigrants state educational benefits that are not also extended to U.S. citizens who live outside Illinois.
“Put simply, U.S. citizens or nationals must be treated no worse than illegal aliens,” Dugan wrote in the ruling.
Following the decision, Steven D. Weinhoeft, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, praised Dugan’s ruling.
“Illinois sought to incentivize illegal immigration on the taxpayer’s dime by treating illegal aliens better than U.S. citizens living in other states, in clear violation of federal law,” said Weinhoeft. “This ruling enforces the statute Congress wrote and stops the State from putting illegal aliens ahead of American citizens.”
The decision marks a big win for Trump administration in their legal campaign to strike down so-called “sanctuary” or “welcoming” laws and policies in Illinois and other states.
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