The Trump administration said that on Friday, it will not defend a decades -old grant program for colleges with a large number of Hispanic students, which is being challenged in court, announcing the government that funding is unconstitutional.
In a memorandum sent to the Congress, the Department of Justice said that it agrees with a lawsuit that tries to attack grants that are reserved for colleges and universities where at least one -fourth of undergraduate is the undergraduate Hispanic. In 1998, the Congress made a program after Latin students attended college and graduated at low rates than white students.
Officials of the Department of Justice argued that the program provides an unconstitutional benefit on the basis of race or ethnicity.
Tenasi state and an anti-anti-action organization filed suit United States Department of Education In June, a judge is asking a judge to stop the program. Tennessy argued that all its public universities serve Hispanic students, but no one fulfills the “arbitrary ethnic limit” to be eligible for grants. Those schools defaulted a million dollars due to discriminatory needs, the trial said.
On Friday, the Department of Justice issued a letter in which Solicitor General D. John Sareer informed Republican House President Mike Johnson that the department has “decided not to defend the program”, saying that some of its aspects are unconstitutional. Letter on 25 July, 2023 Cited Supreme Court verdict Illegal positive actionIn which it was said that “lump sum racial balance” “is clearly unconstitutional.”
The Department of Justice refused to comment.
Supported in suit by Tennessee Students for fair entryA conservative legal group that successfully challenged positive action in entry into Harvard and North Carolina University. The suit ruled the 2023 Supreme Court, which refuses universities to consider the race of students in admission decisions.
Edward Blum, president of the students for fair admission, said the group will reject to comment on Friday.
More than 500 colleges and universities have been designated as Hispanic-serving institutions, making them eligible for a grant program. The Congress applied about $ 350 million for the program in 2024. College competes for grants, which can move from a limit of use from improvement in construction to science programs.
Former President Joe Biden, signing an executive action last year, prioritized the Hispanic-serving universities, promising a new President’s Advisory Board and increased funds. President Donald Trump canceled the order in the office on his first day.
Trump is taking steps to destroy the Education Department and has called to cut the money on a large scale, yet his 2026 budget request has preserved the protected grant for Hispanic-serving colleges and even asked the Congress for a slight increase. Nevertheless, there has been doubt about his administration’s commitment to funding.
A National Association of Hispanic-serving universities filed a resolution to intervene as a defendant in the Tenasi trial last month, expressing concern that the federal government would not represent the members of the group adequately.
Elephant association of colleges and universities Said that Trump’s agenda is “completely unfavorable” for the interests of the group, with the aim of completely closing the Education Department citing the purpose of the President. The group wrote that “on programs condemning programs like HSIS, which want to prevent ethnic or racial inequality.”
The students did not object to the group’s request to lead legal defense for Tennessi and fair entry.
Historically, in contrast to black or original American tribal colleges and universities, who achieve their designation based on their mission, any college can get HSI labels and grants if its latitian enrollment graduate student makes at least 25% of the body.
The list of HSIS includes several community colleges and small institutions in major premises such as Texas University and Arizona University in Austin.
In filing in his court, the National Association argues that grants are constitutional and help keep their members on a similar playground.
Group schools nominate 67% of Latin graduate students of the country, yet studies show that those schools get much less in state and federal funding compared to other institutions. The Hispanic -Servant University is open to students of all breeds – as an example, the association pointed to the Southern Adventist University, a private school of Tennessy whose student body is 28% Hispanic and 40% white.
The Department of Justice Generally has a duty to maintain the Constitution and Federal Law, but in rare cases it may refuse to defend the laws that assumes that it is unconstitutional. The Obama administration did this in 2011 when it refused to implement the defense of the defense act. During his first term, Trump did the same with the Affordable Care Act.
Trump administration Fought fight to finish The government, diversity in education and business, equity and inclusion policies, arguing that they discriminate against white and Asian American people.
