McMahon announces investigation into 5 US universities: 'Non-citizens should not be given special preference'
Five American universities are under federal investigation over scholarships that allegedly were not available to U.S. citizens, or excluded people on other grounds.
The Department of Education will determine whether the schools violated the Civil Rights Act.
The Department of Education is investigating five universities for allegedly violating federal law by offering scholarships that exclude U.S. citizens and lawful residents based on immigration status or race.
The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) opened Title VI investigations into the University of Louisville, University of Nebraska Omaha, University of Miami, University of Michigan, and Western Michigan University, a July 23 press release states.
[RELATED: Over 35 colleges enforce ‘Sanctuary Campus’ policies, refuse to cooperate with ICE]
”Non-citizens should not be given special preference over American citizens for scholarships at American universities,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon wrote in an X post announcing the investigations.
The schools are accused of limiting scholarships to DACA recipients or undocumented students, and in some cases, restricting aid based on race or ethnicity.
Schools and scholarships flagged for investigation include:
University of Louisville: The Sagar Patagundi Scholarship and additional awards like the Dawn Wilson Scholarship and Louisville Tango Festival Scholarship are under investigation for limiting eligibility to DACA, undocumented, and minority students.
University of Nebraska Omaha: The Dreamer’s Pathway Scholarship and HDR Scholarship face scrutiny for restricting access to DACA students and giving preference to underrepresented minorities.
University of Miami: The U Dreamers Program is being investigated for offering aid solely to DACA and undocumented students, potentially excluding U.S. citizens.
University of Michigan: The Dreamer Scholarship is limited to undocumented and DACA recipients, raising concerns about national origin discrimination.
Western Michigan University: The WMU Undocumented/DACA Scholarship and Elissa Gatlin Endowed Scholarship are being reviewed for restricting aid to noncitizens and specific racial groups.
[RELATED: Catholic universities reaffirm support for illegal alien students amid Trump admin deportation efforts]
The investigations stem from complaints by the Equal Protection Project, which argues the programs unlawfully deny public resources to American-born students.
The OCR will examine whether these aid restrictions violate Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which bans national origin and race discrimination in federally funded institutions.