On Aug. 27, the United States Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the New Mexico Higher Education Department and its acting Executive Officer, Stephanie Rodriguez, for \u201coffering in-state tuition to immigrants.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the lawsuit<\/a>, the DOJ claims New Mexico\u2019s Senate Bill 582 and its non-discrimination principle \u201cextend eligibility for in-state tuition benefits and financial aid at New Mexico colleges to illegal aliens while denying those benefits to U.S. citizens from other states.\u201d SB 582 and its related policy \u201cprohibit[ed] denial of admission or eligibility for education benefits on account of immigration status.\u201d<\/p>\n The lawsuit was filed in conjunction with three others sent to western U.S. states, including Washington, Arizona and Oregon, according to a DOJ Office of Public Affairs press release<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n The lawsuit is not directly aimed at the University of New Mexico, but does refer to University policies multiple times. Sen. Jonah Bearden, the Vice Chair of the Associated Students of New Mexico\u2019s Steering & Rules Committee and member of UNM\u2019s Rainbow Coalition, says the lawsuit adds stress to undocumented students who may already feel threatened after claims from some students he\u2019d spoken to about the presence of Homeland Security agents near campus.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Rainbow Coalition, an advocacy group made up of UNM students that is not officially affiliated with the University, was created partially as a result of the lawsuit to \u201cchampion our unique social issues from the University to Federal level,\u201d Bearden told the Daily Lobo. The group created a resolution<\/a>, authored by Bearden, which seeks to protect \u201cundocumented, DACA-eligible, and mixed status students who rely on tuition equity and privacy safeguards to access higher education.<\/p>\n