16-07-2025
Thousands of undocumented students in Louisiana could lose student aid under Trump rollback
U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon testifies at a hearing of the U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies on May 21, 2025. (Screenshot from committee livestream)
Nearly 6,000 noncitizen students in Louisiana could lose access to federal financial aid for workforce education programs, creating funding gaps for the Louisiana Community and Technical College System.
An estimated 5,700 students enrolled at Louisiana's community and technical colleges could lose their support after President Donald Trump's administration announced students without legal status to be in the United States would no longer qualify for student aid, LCTCS spokesman Chandler LeBoeuf said in a statement to the Illuminator. This policy change will largely impact LCTCS adult education programs.
'Such support includes the loss of access to federally funded programs that help gain literacy, job skills and credentials,' LeBoeuf said. 'We may face administrative burdens and funding gaps as we adjust enrollment policies.'
The policy that allowed the immigrants to take advantage of student aid programs such as the Pell Grant and workforce training financial aid programs had been in place since 1997, when former President Bill Clinton's administration exempted career, technical and adult education programs from provisions in law that limited federal benefits to just U.S. citizens, permanent residents and certain categories of 'qualified aliens.'
'The Department will ensure that taxpayer funds are reserved for citizens and individuals who have entered our country through legal means who meet federal eligibility criteria,' U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a media release announcing the new policy.
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