The Brief

When President Donald Trump took office for the second time in January 2025, nearly two dozen states allowed their respective undocumented students to pay in-state college tuition.

Since then, the Trump administration and the president’s allies have worked to dismantle those policies, most of which have been in place for at least a decade. Through lawsuits, the administration says out-of-state students have less access to a “postsecondary education benefit” than undocumented students — a practice it says is forbidden by federal law and that amounts to discrimination against U.S. citizens.

Undocumented students who live in places where in-state tuition has been reversed are already encountering serious obstacles. They don’t qualify for federal financial aid and, faced with significantly higher tuition rates, some of these students are scaling back on their course load, or taking time off to work and save up for school. Others have been compelled to quit.

Most undocumented students were children when they were brought to this country. Nationally, they make up a tiny fraction of the overall college population. They also represent a small percentage of California’s higher ed demographics.

Still, these students number in the tens of thousands. And for each and every one of those undocumented Californians, ending the in-state tuition policy could be calamitous.

Some legal experts believe the U.S. Department of Justice will likely sue California. But they also expect that this state’s law will be harder to dismantle.

When did states begin offering in-state tuition to undocumented students?

In June 2001, Texas made history by becoming the first to grant in-state tuition to undocumented students when then-Republican Gov. Rick Perry signed the Texas Dream Act into law with bipartisan support. In the ensuing years, Washington, D.C., and at least 25 other states followed suit.

California’s AB 540, also signed into law in 2001, offers in-state tuition to undocumented students, U.S. citizens, TPS and U visa holders and lawfully present immigrants who meet eligibility criteria.

Broadly speaking, to qualify, students must have:

• Attended at least three years of high school, adult school or community college in California.
• Obtained a high school diploma or equivalent, an associate’s degree or fulfilled the minimum requirements to transfer to the University of California or California State University.

The exemption from out-of-state tuition saves those students a lot of money. For the 2026-27 academic year, for instance, nonresident undergrads are expected to pay $51,858 in tuition to attend a UC — compared with $15,384 for residents.

Former undocumented students have told LAist that AB 540 made higher education feasible. Because they don’t qualify for federal financial aid, undocumented students rely on state-based support, limited scholarship opportunities and their wages to pay for school.

How has the Trump administration pressured states?

In February, Republican governor Ron DeSantis signed a law to reverse in-state tuition for undocumented students in Florida. Soon after, Trump issued two executive orders that, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, aim to “ensure illegal aliens are not obtaining taxpayer benefits or preferential treatment.” The executive orders do not acknowledge that undocumented people pay local and federal taxes. (In fact, to speed up mass deportation efforts, the IRS is building a system to share taxpayer data with ICE.) The second executive order specifically took issue with “laws that provide in-State higher education tuition to aliens but not to out-of-State U.S. American citizens.”

In June, the DOJ sued Texas, calling for the end of the Texas Dream Act. The department and the state reached a settlement that same day.

As NBC reported, a deputy associate attorney general celebrated the quick turnaround at a private gathering, noting that “because [the DOJ was] able to have that line of communication and talk in advance [with the state’s attorney general], a statute that’s been a problem for the state for 24 years, we got rid of it in six hours.”

Since then, the DOJ has gone on to sue Kentucky, Minnesota, Oklahoma and, most recently, Illinois. Kentucky and Oklahoma also settled with the department.

The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), a Latino civil rights nonprofit, has filed motions against in-state tuition reversals on behalf of undocumented students in Texas and Kentucky. In an email, Thomas A. Saenz, the organization’s president and general counsel, said “the district court denied our clients’ motion to intervene, but we have appealed that decision to the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.” The organization is also waiting for the U.S. and Kentucky to file any opposition.

Saenz underscored that “under these laws, undocumented residents of the state pay the same tuition as other state residents; this is not some special lower tuition rate solely for undocumented students. Like other resident students, the undocumented students’ families have contributed taxes and economic growth that helps pay for public colleges, and the students have demonstrated the same success and commitment in education as other resident students.”

What could happen in California?

Asked whether the Trump administration is likely to take similar action against this state, Saenz said: “[The DOJ] may eventually sue California, but California’s law is far less vulnerable than the states sued thus far.”

He said that the federal law the Trump administration is attempting to use to strike down these laws only relates to granting tuition based on residence. California law, he added, “does not consider or mention residence at all in granting regular tuition to undocumented students.”

Kevin Johnson, professor of law and Chicana/o Studies at UC Davis, also believes the Trump administration is likely to sue the Golden state.

“[Trump] has such a bee in his bonnet about California being a sanctuary state and seems to have a difficult relationship with our governor,” he said.

The Trump administration, Johnson added, probably decided to sue Texas and Kentucky first, “knowing that they would get very limited opposition from the attorney generals” — as opposed to starting with California, “where [Attorney General Rob Bonta] is going to be very aggressive in defending AB 540.”

In an email statement, Bonta's press office told LAist: "We remain committed to defending California’s laws, values and people from the Trump Administration’s attacks."

“This is strategic lawyering,” Johnson continued. “I think the Trump administration is angling to get this issue before the U.S. Supreme Court.”

“The Supreme Court focuses on resolving what are called ‘circuit splits,’ where different courts in different jurisdictions reach different conclusions,” Johnson said. “So the Trump administration can say: ‘Supreme Court, please address this, because we need a clearer national resolution of the issue.”

What happens next?  

In Johnson’s view, the push to end in-state tuition is part of broader efforts to make life unbearable for undocumented people.

The Trump administration, he wrote in a follow up email, is pulling “all [the] various levers of the federal government.”

The "roving patrols;" the executive order to end to birthright citizenship; the Department of Homeland Security’s “self-deportation” campaign; the building of “Alligator Alcatraz,” “Speedway Slammer” and the “Deportation Depot” — all of this, he said, is “designed to terrorize the undocumented community” and pressure families to leave.

Republican Sonja Shaw conceded the race for California Superintendent of Public Instruction to Democrat Richard Barrera late Wednesday evening.

“Last night voters made their choice. I would be lying if I said my heart wasn’t heavy,” Shaw said in a statement shared on social media. “As a mother and a protector of children, I feel deeply saddened for the kids. They are the ones who deserve so much better.”

In her social media post, which included a photo of Shaw locking hands with her husband and two daughters, Shaw said her kids had motivated her to run for state superintendent. Shaw won election to the Chino Valley Unified school board in 2022, fueled by support from conservative parents.

“The problem is that for decades, the same people have had their hands on our education system while our children have continued to fall behind,” Shaw said. “I believe we had an opportunity to change that.”

The office of California superintendent of public instruction is nonpartisan, with no party affiliation listed on the ballot. In past races, it was not unusual for two Democrats to advance to the November election. But this year, endorsements, campaign funding and campaigning broke largely along partisan lines.

Shaw, a Republican and board president of Chino Valley Unified, emerged as the top vote getter in a crowded June primary that featured several Democratic state lawmakers. But she contended in her statement that her race didn’t have the “money or machinery” that her opponent did in the November election.

Shaw trailed Barrera by nearly 15 percentage points, according to the latest election results Thursday morning. Shaw’s campaign raised about $595,000 compared to Barrera’s $812,000. However, the California Teachers Association, the state’s largest teachers union and a heavy spender in state superintendent races, also spent $8.4 million to support Barrera, the board president of San Diego Unified.

That pales in comparison to the combined $50 million raised in the 2018 state superintendent race Tony Thurmond won against Marshall Tuck in 2018. The 2026 state superintendent race had the distinction of featuring two local school board members.

Shaw said she’s not sure what her next steps will be.

“I don’t know exactly what God has next, but I know He isn’t finished,” she said.

Shaw will not be returning to the Chino Valley Unified school board where she began her political career. Her husband, Chris Shaw, ran for her open seat and is trailing his challenger by 11 points, according to the San Bernardino County Register of Voters.

This story was originally published by EdSource.

The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing over the 101 Freeway in Agoura Hills is set to officially open next month, but that hasn’t stopped some wildlife from already using it.

Cameras captured coyote footage twice — once last week and again on Thursday morning — making the mammal the first large animal species seen using the crossing.

“This is amazing — obviously, the wildlife are not waiting for our opening date,” said Beth Pratt, president of the Wildlife Crossing Fund. “The animals are already blessing this crossing and saying, ‘Yep, you got it right.’”

Construction of the expansive bridge began in 2022, aimed at giving wildlife safe passage between the Santa Monica Mountains and Simi Hills after years of research.

Pratt said it’s unclear whether the images of the coyote are of the same animal. The coyote in the most recent image from Thursday morning can be seen on the 101 structure holding a bone or a stick in its mouth.

“The coyote is validating that we got this designed right, and I think that there's something also about a coyote being first — kind of the L.A. mascot next to P-22,” Pratt said.

The National Park Service is installing more cameras along the crossing to document and study how animals use it. While images will be made publicly available, there will not be a livestream.

“We can't, for security reasons, because this is L.A., and if there's a mountain lion going across, somebody's gonna go try to pet it,” Pratt said.

Topline:

• How we got here: Roy held on to a strong lead over McKinney ever since polls closed and is currently ahead by more than twice as many votes. Roy will be a fresh face to the role after the incumbent city attorney, Hydee Feldstein Soto, was ousted in the June primary in a rare defeat of an elected city official. 

• What the candidates had to say: 
  
  • Roy said on social media Wednesday that election night was “a really good night for the people who believe that we should take care of one another, that we can stand up for our rights — even in what feels like an increasingly lawless world — and that we will achieve justice when we fight for it.”
  • McKinney posted on social media Thursday that he’s back in his old office at the Hall of Justice. “The run for City Attorney was an incredible journey, and I’m truly grateful for everyone who believed in me, supported me, and stood by my side,” McKinney wrote. "While I’m disappointed things didn’t turn out the way we hoped, I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything." He acknowledged Roy in a social media video earlier this week, describing her as a “hard worker” who put together a strong coalition of support. McKinney added that he would be “rooting for her.”
  • Neither campaign immediately responded to LAist’s requests for additional comment.
• What’s at stake: The city attorney runs an office of more than 550 lawyers representing L.A. in all legal matters, including filing lawsuits and defending against them. Roy, backed by powerful progressives like U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, has vowed to take on the Trump administration in court.
• Go deeper: Read more about the city attorney's role and what's on the table for Roy's first term.

Construction of the green metal fence around MacArthur Park will begin Monday, Nov. 16, with work scheduled to continue through fall 2027.

The city announced the start date Nov. 4, saying crews will install an 8-foot fence around the park’s perimeter. Nearby residents and businesses can expect some noise, dust and vibration during construction, although the city said mitigation measures will be in place.

Crews will work Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and the park will remain open while crews are working. 

The fence is the city’s latest attempt to tackle longstanding problems at MacArthur Park, including drug use, homelessness and crime.

The city first approved plans for the fence in October 2025, and the proposal has since drawn both support and criticism from residents and community groups.

Some say they hope the fence will make the park safer, while others question whether it will actually improve conditions there. Police and city officials say the fence will give them more control over the space and make it easier to enforce the law.

Ana Luz Vazquez, a street vendor near MacArthur Park, said her main concern about the fence is what will happen to the unhoused people who stay in the park throughout the day and whether the city plans to address that issue directly.

She is also concerned that construction during the day could affect her ability to work because of traffic, less parking availability and loud noise.

Vazquez said she would prefer construction to take place at night so it would have less of an impact on street vendors.

“If they’re working in the day then how are we supposed to come here and who is going to help us survive,” Vazquez said.

Construction will happen in two phases

Phase 1

• Alvarado St. from W. 6th St. to Wilshire Blvd.
• S. Park View St. from Wilshire Blvd. to W. 6th St.
• Wilshire Blvd. from Alvarado St. to S. Park View St.

Phase 2

• Alvarado St. from Wilshire Blvd. to W. 7th St.
• S. Park View St. from W. 7th St. to Wilshire Blvd.
• Wilshire Blvd. from S. Park View St. to Alvarado St.
• W. 7th St. from Alvarado St. to S. Park View St.

Existing trees will be protected and monitored during the work, according to the Department of Recreation and Parks. Traffic control measures will be in place during work hours, and crews will post temporary “No Parking” signs near active work areas in advance.

Services at the park are expected to remain the same throughout construction. The schedule could change because of weather or other unforeseen circumstances, according to the city.

The city has allocated $2.3 million for the project, but officials have not said whether that will cover the full cost.

After the fence is installed, the city plans a second phase focused on adding decorative elements. Officials have said residents will have an opportunity to provide input on the design.

Residents with questions or concerns about the project can contact Recreation and Parks at RAP.PublicInfo@lacity.org or 213-202-2700.

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