Colorado is under scrutiny as it faces a lawsuit from the Department of Justice (DOJ) over its policy to provide in-state tuition to over 6,000 illegal immigrants. Governor Jared Polis appeared on ‘Fox & Friends Weekend’ to justify the state’s decision, asserting Colorado’s right to define residency for tuition purposes. He highlighted that these students are not beneficiaries of federal financial aid.
The DOJ has issued a stern warning to states, indicating potential loss of billions in welfare funding if they fail to report illegal immigrants to the federal government. This requirement marks a notable change from previous rules. The DOJ’s Office of Legal Counsel emphasized that states participating in two primary welfare programs must ensure all agencies report unlawfully present individuals to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
This change in policy erases a 1998 interpretation, which limited such reporting to the agencies directly managing welfare programs. Now, all state agencies, including educational institutions and motor vehicle departments, must comply.
Deputy Assistant Attorney General Joshua Craddock underscored the importance of compliance, warning of severe repercussions, including the potential withdrawal of program funding.
Since returning to office, President Donald Trump has enacted stringent measures to curb illegal immigration, deploying federal agents across various cities to carry out raids in migrant communities and leveraging partnerships with local law enforcement to identify illegal migrants.
In response to Democratic states resisting federal immigration policies, the administration has employed threats of withholding federal funding to encourage compliance. Legal resistance from these states is anticipated, as some have previously sued to prevent the DHS from accessing recipient data under welfare programs like Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.
The reporting mandate applies across all 50 states and Washington, D.C., encompassing programs such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and Supplemental Security Income, which respectively receive $16.5 billion and $60 billion in federal benefits annually. Notably, illegal immigrants do not qualify for these programs.