The United States Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Minnesota's laws, for offering free or reduced in-state tuition to immigrant or undocumented students, claiming that they are unconstitutional.

With this lawsuit, Minnesota became the latest state on Wednesday to face a lawsuit from the Donald Trump administration, in an attempt to force the state to give its graduates high school, under immigration status, the same lower tuition rates reserved for state citizens.

Additionally, the lawsuit seeks to overturn a law that allows the same immigrant students to receive scholarships that cover some or all of their tuition under the state's North Star Promise program.

The lawsuit was filed in federal district court in Minnesota, which names Democratic Governor Tim Walz and state Attorney General Keith Ellison as the main defendants, along with the state Office of Higher Education.

The Department of Justice argues that the state “is flagrantly violating” a federal law that prohibits entities in the country from providing a higher education benefit to undocumented students.

“No state can afford to treat Americans as second-class citizens in their own country by offering financial benefits to illegal aliens,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi in a statement.

Reiterating that this population cannot receive the same benefits as citizens born in the United States. States generally set higher tuition rates for out-of-state students.

However, Walz's office commented on the lawsuit, saying it is reviewing it "to better understand what this means for the state," even though the Justice Department claims Minnesota discriminates against U.S. citizens.

Lawsuits in Other States

The Minnesota lawsuit by the Justice Department is not the first in the country. Other lawsuits were filed earlier this month against Kentucky and Texas, and in the case of Texas, more lawsuits could follow, Bondi warned.

Last week, a federal judge in Texas blocked a state law that granted a tuition waiver to students residing in the United States undocumented. The decision came after Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton supported the legal challenge.