White House deprives illegal students and 'dreamers' of financial aid in connection with coronavirus

On April 21, the White House stripped tens of thousands of undocumented immigrants and DACA recipients of billions of dollars of aid for college students affected by COVID-19, writes USA Today.

Photo: Shutterstock

It's difficult to say exactly how many people are affected by the Trump administration's decision because there are no hard numbers on undocumented immigrants attending U.S. colleges. About 700 DACA recipients could be affected by this waiver. Officials have excluded from aid recipients a group of students who already face serious challenges in attending and completing college — and whose legal status is at risk pending a U.S. Supreme Court decision.

According to the Department of Education, students are not allowed to receive assistance because it is intended for US citizens. Undocumented immigrants and DACA recipients must rely on personal finances or private sponsor money to cover the cost of their education.

Colleges were forced to focus on online education and face financial turmoil, as they have to reimburse housing costs. Students struggle to adapt to the new learning model by dealing with economic uncertainty.

Part of the Coronavirus Assistance Act was to address both of these problems. Universities will receive billions of dollars in aid, half of which they must provide to students economically affected by the coronavirus. The other half can be used to offset the costs of institutions associated with the transition to online learning.

When Education Department Commissioner Betsy DeVos announced $6,3 billion in emergency aid for students, she said colleges would have the authority to distribute the money. This did not go smoothly - most students received nothing. Many universities told USA TODAY reporters they need more guidance from the Education Department before they start handing out that money.

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Some colleges hope they can channel some of this money into needy students who are usually not eligible for federal funding, said Ben Miller, vice president of postgraduate education at the Center for American Progress. Spokeswoman for the Department of Education Angela Morabito said the law clearly states that "this taxpayer-financed aid fund should target US citizens, which is constantly repeated in the law."

Miller said students in need are counted toward the university's overall enrollment, a figure used to determine how much money a college is eligible to receive. Undocumented students and DACA recipients may have increased their institution's share of federal aid money, but they themselves have been cut off from it.

Lawyers argue that undocumented students and DACA recipients face the same financial difficulties as low-income students who are eligible for financial assistance.

“They should be eligible to receive these funds regardless of immigration status,” said Miriam Feldblum, executive director of the President's Alliance on Higher Education, an advocacy group of higher education leaders focused on immigration policy.

These students may have lost their jobs or need care for family members, she said. They may have trouble finding the right technology to access their online courses. The education department, she said, had the opportunity to reduce some of these problems, but they decided not to.

A familiar feeling for illegal students

This year, the Supreme Court is likely to decide on the future of the DACA policy and the fate of the 700 people who rely on it to avoid temporary deportation and work in the country. The Trump administration said it was in the country's best interest to complete the program. Federal courts in California and Texas challenged this decision by sending it to the Supreme Court.

This looming decision is one of Pedro Garcia's many thoughts. He is a 21-year-old student at North Park University in Chicago and a DACA recipient. Like many students, his life has been turned upside down during the pandemic. He lived in a dormitory and worked in college.

These days he lives at home with his family. Six of them share three rooms, so it can be difficult to find a quiet moment to complete your term paper. In his house there is no access to the Internet, which was supposed to help.

He, like other DACA recipients, must rely on family resources and private scholarships to pay for college. He said he was lucky to have a job as a campus safety dispatcher and a writing consultant. Despite this, money from the state would help. Not having the right to do so is a familiar feeling.

“It never felt like this administration was on our side,” he said.

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Alvarez, a student at the University of Arizona, said that online classes have become a problem, but she is grateful that she has personal space for study, work to pay bills, and a computer for classes. She said that not all of her peers were so lucky. Many of them were left without work. Those with jobs are at risk of contracting a coronavirus. She, like Garcia, is worried about a Supreme Court decision. Their parents did not receive checks in connection with the coronavirus, which came to many American families.

Federal assistance, she said, would help students who have trouble accessing online education and those who cannot afford food. Coronavirus has become another barrier to their formation.

“This is a community that doesn’t have enough resources to go to school in the first place,” she said. “It’s a feeling we’ve had for a very long time.”

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