The California Undocumented Higher Education Coalition Condemns Legal Attacks on College Affordability Policies for Undocumented Students

Last week, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a complaint against California for providing undocumented students rightful access to in-state tuition rates, scholarships, and loan options. This lawsuit is the latest in a string of baseless attacks by the federal administration against the undocumented and immigrant communities who help power our country. In late April 2025, the president signed an executive order cracking down on these policies, and the DOJ has since launched similar lawsuits in 5 other states. 

The California Undocumented Higher Education Coalition (CUHEC) urges California and other states to continue to challenge these clear attempts to villainize, and thereby restrict opportunities for, our immigrant neighbors and students. California stands proudly as the home of approximately 2.3 million undocumented people, 19% of the nation’s undocumented residents. Over two-thirds of undocumented Californians are long-term residents of our state, with 35% of undocumented California adults residing here for over 20 years or more. Undocumented children go on to shape California’s future: 14,000 of them graduate from our high schools every year, and 28% of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients live in California. 

The response is not to give up on progress and limit the potential of undocumented people, but to turn their dreams into reality by ensuring the doors to higher education remain open for this population. That starts by standing firm with immigrant communities and affirming their right to a higher education free of barriers through these college access policies that remain wholly legal and are a lifeline for students.