DeVos bars undocumented college students from emergency aidPolitico, Apr 21, 2020
The Trump administration on Tuesday prohibited undocumented college students from receiving emergency federal cash assistance for expenses like food, child care and housing.
The economic rescue law passed by Congress gives $6 billion to colleges to dole out to students for expenses stemming from the disruption on campuses caused by the pandemic. But Education Department officials in new guidance said the money can go only to students who qualify for federal financial aid — U.S. citizens and some legal permanent residents.
That prevents undocumented students from accessing the money, although the law includes no explicit restrictions on which students could receive the emergency grants.
The group that won't receive assistance includes hundreds of thousands of members of the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which has provided work authorization and deportation protections for undocumented people who were illegally brought to the United States as children or overstayed a visa. The Supreme Court is considering whether the program should continue and is expected to issue a decision by June.
Aides to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said she is following the economic relief law. “The CARES Act makes clear that this taxpayer funded relief fund should be targeted to U.S. citizens, which is consistently echoed throughout the law,†Education Department spokesperson Liz Hill said in a statement.
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https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/21/betsy-devos-undocumented-college-students-aid-199465
