SAT . The Department of Justice sued Gov. Gavin Newsom over a California measure that gives illegal immigrants access to in-state tuition benefits.

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FIRST ON FOX: The Department of Justice sued Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday over a California measure that gives illegal immigrants access to in-state tuition benefits, marking the third lawsuit in one week that the department has brought against the high-profile Democratic governor.

The lawsuit, brought in the Eastern District of California, alleged that California’s education code caused out-of-state U.S. citizens to pay higher tuition rates at California’s schools than people living in the country illegally.

The attorneys called it “unequal treatment” that was “squarely” at odds with federal law, which states that people unlawfully living in the United States cannot be given tuition benefits based on their residence that U.S. citizens are not also entitled to.

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California Gov. Gavin Newsom (AP Photo)

The DOJ has brought similar lawsuits in several other states, including Minnesota. That case there was put on hold for weeks because of the government shutdown.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, an elected Democrat, has moved to have the lawsuit dismissed, arguing the DOJ is not properly reading the federal laws and that U.S. citizens do indeed have access to the same benefits as undocumented students.

Newsom has been hit with two other federal lawsuits this week, signaling an escalation in the Trump administration’s scrutiny of the possible 2028 contender and the nation’s most populous state.

“The DOJ has now filed three meritless, politically motivated lawsuits against California in a single week. Good luck, Trump. We’ll see you in court,” a spokesperson for Newsom’s office said in a statement.

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Attorney General Pam Bondi stands during an executive order signing in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025.  (Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Last week, the DOJ brought a complaint over California’s newly passed ballot measure that clears the way for the state legislature to use a map that shifts five congressional districts in favor of Democrats. This week, it sued over the state’s passage of legislation in September that banned immigration officials from wearing masks that conceal their identities.

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“From racial gerrymandering, to undermining law enforcement, to discriminating against American students, Newsom has flagrantly disregarded federal law in his quest to ruin California,” a DOJ official told Fox News Digital. “We will see him in court as many times as necessary.”

Ashley Oliver is a reporter for Fox News Digital and FOX Business, covering the Justice Department and legal affairs. Email story tips to [email protected].