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SALT LAKE CITY — U.S. Rep. Burgess Owens is coming down hard against proposed rule changes put forward by the Biden administration that are meant, in part, to bolster immigrant students' access to college.
The 4th District Republican lawmaker worries that increasing the pool of students who can tap into the federal TRIO programs to include more who entered the country illegally, as proposed, would hinder American students' access to the programming.
"The Department of Education's TRIO expansion proposal is not just irresponsible — it's a slap in the face to every hardworking family striving for the American dream," Owens said in a statement on Wednesday. "Instead of expanding opportunities for American students, the Biden-Harris administration is working to dilute these critical resources meant to help low-income and first-generation students access a high-quality education. It's time to stand up for our students and put America's families first."
Owens is member of the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce and has previously lamented the funneling of education funds to help cover the cost of teaching students who entered the country illegally. He and five other Republican House members sent a letter last week to U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona voicing their opposition to the changes to the TRIO programs, so dubbed by the feds.
Cardona, though, lauded the proposed changes as a means of making postsecondary education more affordable and accessible to "our most disadvantaged students." Program access would be expanded to those from low-income backgrounds, immigrants lacking permanent legal status and students with disabilities.
"By broadening eligibility for federal programs and placing guardrails that help protect against situations that leave students with debt but no degree, we can open more doors to the life-changing potential of higher education," Cardona said last month in releasing details of the proposed changes still under review.
Per the proposed changes, eligibility to take part in the three TRIO programs would be expanded to include those lacking legal status and currently not on a pathway to legal residency in the country. "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 in their path toward postsecondary education," read the summaries of the proposed changes.
Impacted by the changes would be the Talent Search, Educational Opportunities Centers and Upward Bound programs. The programs, geared to elementary and high school students, are meant to help disadvantaged students along the path to college and other postsecondary education options.
In their Aug. 23 letter, though, Owens and the five other lawmakers critical of the changes say they would "siphon" resources away from "low-income American citizens."
"The (Education) Department argues that TRIO programs have 'limited resources.' Expanding the number of eligible students means that more students will compete for the same amount of resources, resulting in fewer resources distributed to low-income American citizens who are currently TRIO eligible," reads the letter. The department estimates 500,000 noncitizen students in grades 9-12 would be eligible for the TRIO programs under the changes and that 10% of those would likely be served by them.
During a House subcommittee meeting last June, Owens took aim at President Joe Biden, a Democrat, for the "border crisis," the illegal entry of immigrants along the U.S.-Mexico border and the ripple effects on education. The upshot, Owens said, is additional students that Utah schools must educate and some $900 million more in costs for the state.
"In Utah alone, illegal immigrants are estimated to be adding 54,000 students to local school systems," Owens said. "It is unacceptable, unjust to students, teachers and citizens to pay this price for President Biden's strategy for power."
