The Biden-Harris administration is proposing a new rule that would expand access to taxpayer-funded college preparatory programs to include illegal aliens. The programs, known as TRIO programs, were originally designed to support low-income young Americans from disadvantaged backgrounds.
The proposed rule, announced in July, would allow illegal aliens who are enrolled in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program to participate in TRIO programs such as the Talent Search program, the Educational Opportunity Centers program, and the Upward Bound program.
Critics of the proposal argue that it would divert resources away from American citizens who are in need of support. “The Biden-Harris administration’s proposal would take college preparatory aid away from American citizens and give it to illegal aliens,” said Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN).
Banks has introduced legislation, the “American Students First Act,” to prevent the administration from offering TRIO programs to illegal aliens. “Instead of waiting until 2025 for this America Last policy to be reversed, House Republicans should pass my bill to protect working American families’ access to college aid,” he said.
House Education and Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) also criticized the proposal, saying that the administration is prioritizing benefits for illegal aliens over the needs of American students. “There’s a laundry list of problems facing students and postsecondary education today, but what is the Biden administration focused on? Siphoning resources away from low-income American citizens by stretching college-prep programs thin to cover illegal immigrants,” she said.
The proposal comes as American colleges and universities are reaping billions of dollars in profits from foreign students, including illegal aliens. In the 2023 school year, over one million foreign students were enrolled in colleges and universities in the United States, generating an estimated $9 billion in revenue from tuition costs and fees.
Some states, including Oregon and California, have already received waivers from the Department of Education to use federal taxpayer money to offer TRIO programs to illegal aliens.
