(The Center Square) —  New York, Connecticut and Vermont are violating federal law by allowing “illegal aliens” to pay lower in-state tuition rates at public colleges and universities, the Department of Justice claims in a new round of lawsuits targeting the policies. 

The complaints, filed Monday in U.S. District Courts, asks federal judges to invalidate laws in the states that require colleges and universities to provide in-state tuition rates for immigrants who have established residency in the state, regardless of their immigration status.

Federal prosecutors say the laws deprive U.S. citizens of opportunities for lower tuition rates, scholarships and other assistance.

“Congress long ago made clear that States cannot put illegal aliens over our Nation’s own citizens," Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward said in a statement. "By granting illegal aliens in-state tuition, New York, Vermont, and Connecticut are doing just that. No more." 

In the nearly identical lawsuits, the DOJ said New York and other states that offer in-state tuition to immigrants “unconstitutionally discriminate against U.S. citizens who are not afforded the same reduced tuition rates, scholarships, or subsidies, create incentives for illegal immigration, and reward illegal immigrants with benefits that U.S. citizens are not eligible for, all in direct conflict with federal law."

DOJ lawyers pointed to wide disparities between in-state and out-of-state tuition rates. The average tuition and fees at New York colleges are $8,316 for in-state and $18,613 for out-of-state students, according to the lawsuit. 

"This is a simple matter of federal law: colleges cannot provide benefits to illegal aliens that they do not provide to U.S. citizens," Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division, said in a statement. 

There was no immediate response from the attorneys general of the three states, whose offices will defend against the legal challenge. 

The lawsuit is the latest challenge in the Trump administration’s efforts to block states from offering lower tuition rates for undocumented immigrants in Democratic controlled states.

DOJ has filed complaints against 17 states including Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Jersey, California and Illinois. Those cases are still pending.

"As of today, we have now sued every state in the Second Circuit that seeks to thwart Congress’s clear prohibition by placing alien over citizen," Woodward said. "And our efforts will not cease until President Trump’s promise is fulfilled: illegal aliens will not receive benefits denied to our Nation’s own citizens."

Several Republican controlled states, including Texas, Oklahoma and Nebraska, have agreed to end policies allowing in-state tuition rates for undocumented residents.