Trump admin moves to dismantle $350 million in grants from Hispanic colleges
The Department of Justice says racial criteria of program violates law and will not defend the program in court.
Over 500 institutions currently qualify as Hispanic-Serving Institutions.
The Trump administration is preparing to end a federal grant program that directs more than $350 million annually to “Hispanic-Serving Institutions” (HSIs), determining the race-based funding unconstitutional.
The decades-old initiative is being challenged in federal court by the state of Tennessee and Students for Fair Admissions, who argue the Department of Education’s program is “arbitrary” and “discriminatory” for limiting eligibility to colleges with at least 25 percent Hispanic enrollment.
The Department of Justice has confirmed it will not defend the HSI program. In a letter Friday, a senior DOJ official wrote, “The Department of Justice has determined that those provisions violate the equal-protection component of the Fifth Amendment’s Due Process Clause.”
The legal complaint cites the University of Memphis, where nearly half of students are low-income, but the school remains ineligible for HSI grants because it lacks the “right” ethnic composition. Plaintiffs argue this exclusion highlights the program’s discriminatory nature.
Established in 1998, the program has classified over 500 colleges and universities nationwide as HSIs, granting them access to millions in federal funds. Critics say the program rewards racial demographics over student need or institutional merit.
[RELATED: Civil rights concerns grow over Harvard’s support of race-based alumni group]
The Department of Education has already signaled broader rollbacks of race-based initiatives. On Aug. 14, the agency announced plans to require colleges to disclose how race factors into admissions decisions.
“We will not allow institutions to blight the dreams of students by presuming that their skin color matters more than their hard work and accomplishments,” a Department of Education official stated.
This move aligns with other Trump administration efforts to rein in racial preferences in higher education, echoing concerns raised by lawmakers and advocacy groups who argue that taxpayer dollars should not be distributed according to race.
Campus Reform has contacted the Trump administration and Students for Fair Admissions for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
