For Immediate Release: July 22, 2024
Contact: Jason Koh, [email protected]
Leading Higher Education and Immigration Organizations Commend TRIO Expansion and Other Actions to Support Dreamers
Washington, DC – Last Wednesday, the Biden-Harris Administration announced forthcoming proposed regulations to expand eligibility for certain federal TRIO programs to include Dreamer and other students. The federal TRIO programs are student outreach and support programs, designed to increase the college access, retention, and success of students from low-income and disadvantaged backgrounds. Expanding eligibility of TRIO programs to Dreamers who meet the qualifications will help ensure that all prospective college students can access the support they need to achieve their academic and professional goals—strengthening our campuses, communities, and nation.
Miriam Feldblum, Executive Director of the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration said: “Expanding the criteria of federal TRIO programs to include eligible Dreamer students ensures that these programs can continue to fulfill their vital mission of supporting all students from low-income and disadvantaged backgrounds to pursue postsecondary education and succeed on campus and beyond. Supporting the postsecondary access and success of Dreamer students benefits local communities, contributes to much-needed workforce development, and is a significant move towards a more effective and inclusive education system”
Gaby Pacheco, CEO and President of TheDream.US said: “As of Fall 2024, TheDream.US will have provided close to 12,000 Dreamers the opportunity to attend and afford college. Of those Scholars, 86% are Latinos, and many of them are attending Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). Post-secondary education is a critical driver for economic opportunity and we see it with our Dreamer alumni. Six months after graduating, 63% of our more than 4,000 college graduates are out-earning their parents combined and putting their degrees to work to help America. Expanding the accessibility of TRIO programs fit hand-in-hand with our efforts. Alongside the ongoing efforts to streamline access to D-3 waivers and employment-based visas, this new announcement helps support the needs and potential of Dreamers – and the nation’s workforce and communities in the process.”
###
The nonpartisan, nonprofit Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration brings college and university presidents and chancellors together on the immigration issues that impact higher education, our students, campuses, communities and nation. We work to support undocumented, international and refugee students, and advance forward-looking immigration policies and practices at the federal level, in our states, and across our college campuses. The Alliance is composed of 550+ college and university presidents and chancellors of public and private colleges and universities, enrolling over five million students in 42 states, D.C., and Puerto Rico.
TheDream.US is the nation’s largest college and career success program for undocumented immigrant students, having provided more than 10,000 college scholarships to Dreamers attending over 80 partner colleges in 21 states and Washington, DC. We believe everyone, regardless of where they were born, should have equitable access to a college education, a meaningful career, and opportunities to contribute to the communities they call home. For more information on TheDream.US, visit www.thedream.us.