Illinois Governor JB Pritzker's administration suffered a significant legal defeat Friday as a federal judge dismantled key state laws that provided in-state tuition, financial aid, and scholarships to illegal immigrants. This ruling marks another victory for the Trump administration's nationwide immigration enforcement agenda, prioritizing American citizens over those who have entered the country unlawfully.
U.S. District Judge Stephen McGlynn, a Trump appointee in the Southern District of Illinois, sided with the Justice Department. He declared Illinois' in-state tuition policies, specifically the RISE Act and the Illinois DREAM Act, "unconstitutional and invalid" as they apply to illegal immigrants. This decision directly challenges state-level attempts to create parallel systems of benefits for non-citizens, funded by the native working class.
The ruling permanently blocks Illinois from enforcing these laws. Judge McGlynn, however, delayed the order's effect for 14 days, allowing the state time to seek intervention from an appeals court. U.S. Attorney Steven Weinhoeft sharply criticized Illinois' policies, stating, "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." He added that the ruling "enforces the statute Congress wrote and stops the State from putting illegal aliens ahead of American citizens."
Elite Defiance and Citizen Displacement
The Justice Department initiated its lawsuit against Illinois and several colleges in September 2025. It argued that Illinois violated federal law by offering in-state tuition and financial aid to illegal immigrants without extending these same benefits to all U.S. citizens, regardless of their state of residence. Judge McGlynn granted the federal government's motion for summary judgment, rejecting Illinois' attempt to dismiss the case.
This decision invalidates Illinois' in-state tuition regulations, the RISE Act, which granted state financial aid access to certain students ineligible for federal aid, and the Illinois DREAM Act, which created scholarship opportunities. Representative Mary Miller, R-Ill., lauded the ruling on X, declaring, "This is a win for Illinois taxpayers and American students who were shut out while Pritzker prioritized foreigners in our country illegally." Her statement underscores the direct displacement faced by native citizens under such policies.
National Sovereignty Reasserted
This legal triumph in Illinois isn't an isolated incident. The Justice Department has secured wins or settlements in similar cases across the nation, including Texas, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Nebraska. Nebraska, for instance, agreed to terminate in-state tuition benefits for illegal immigrants as part of a settlement, demonstrating a rollback of policies that undermine national citizenship.
Further lawsuits are pending against Minnesota, Virginia, California, New Jersey, Kansas, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maryland, and Colorado. Just this Thursday, July 24, 2026, the Justice Department filed a new lawsuit against Colorado, challenging its ASSET Act and related policies. The federal government argues that Colorado unlawfully provides lower tuition rates and state financial aid to illegal immigrants while denying these same benefits to out-of-state U.S. citizens.
Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward condemned these state-level actions. "For three decades, Congress has made clear that Colorado cannot give education benefits to illegal aliens that it does not give to all American citizens," he asserted. Woodward continued, "By granting illegal aliens in-state tuition, Colorado is not only violating federal law but subsidizing education for illegal aliens at taxpayers' expense." This highlights the financial burden imposed on the native population by elite-driven policies.
Woodward made it clear that the Justice Department's efforts won't cease. "Our litigation efforts will not cease until we have fulfilled President Trump's promise that illegal aliens will not obtain preferential treatment over our nation's own citizens," he stated. This commitment signals a sustained pushback against the erosion of national sovereignty and the privileging of non-citizens.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis' office, however, defended the state's policies, with a spokesperson claiming, "The federal government seizing control of determining in-state tuition across the country is absurd." This response from a state executive reveals the ongoing tension between national law and state-level attempts to implement policies that align with a borderless agenda. The spokesperson added, "In Colorado, we are expanding access to education to provide students with the skills to get good-paying jobs and doubling down on strategies to save students money," framing the issue as one of economic access rather than national integrity. Fox News Digital sought comment from Pritzker's office, but no response was immediately available.