House Republicans condemn Biden-Harris administration initiative to let illegals benefit from Federal education programs

Members of a Congressional committee have criticized the Biden administration’s decision to expand certain education benefits to illegal immigrants. 

On Aug. 23, six Republican members of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce wrote a letter to Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona concerning proposed Federal regulations, including a regulation that would permit illegal immigrants to benefit from Federal education programs.

The six committee members are Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) and Reps. Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.), Burgess Owens (R-Utah), Tim Walberg (R-Mich.), Jim Banks (R-Ind.), and Michael Rulli (R-Ohio). 

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In its proposed new regulations published on July 24, the Department of Education (DOE) pushed to allow illegal immigrant students to be included as beneficiaries of certain TRIO programs. 

“K-12 public schools must be open to all students regardless of their immigration status. As such, the Department believes that all children who attend high school in the United States should have the same access to TRIO services to assist their pathway into postsecondary education,” the department wrote. 

The DOE believes that revising TRIO programs in this way would “eliminate the operational burden of separating out students who are enrolled in public schools but not eligible for TRIO services under the current rule, enabling a greater focus on delivering educational services to all students.”

TRIO programs are meant to help students from “disadvantaged backgrounds,” including “low-income individuals, first-generation college students, and individuals with disabilities.” The programs are targeted to help students “progress through the academic pipeline from middle school to postbaccalaureate programs.”

The House Republicans wrote to Cardona that expanding TRIO benefits to illegal immigrants would disadvantage Americans, claiming that the new regulations would  “siphon resources away from currently eligible low-income American citizens.” 

They also wrote that Cardona’s new regulations would violate the Higher Education Act, which mandates that a beneficiary of a Federal “grant, loan, or work assistance” must be an American citizen, permanent resident, or someone who can demonstrate that they intend to become a citizen or permanent resident. 

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The Committee members also quote the DOE in stating that TRIO programs suffer from “limited resources.” Thus, according to the letter signers, implementing the DOE’s proposed regulations would mean that illegal aliens would benefit at the expense of poorer Americans, who would now have to “compete for the same amount of resources.”

“TRIO programs have historically benefitted low-income Americans, first generation college students, and students with disabilities to help close the educational gap and ensure they have the skills needed to succeed in postsecondary education . . . .  The proposed expansion is a blatant attempt to provide additional taxpayer-funded services to those not seeking citizenship in the name of reducing ‘burden,’” the committee members concluded. 

Campus Reform has contacted Reps. Virginia Foxx and Jim Banks for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.