Author’s Note: This article is from my weekly “Top of Mind” email, sent to subscribers every Thursday. For more content like this and to receive the full newsletter each week, enter your name and email under “SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER, ‘TOP OF MIND,’” located on the right-hand side of the site.
On March 27, 2025, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) revoked Biden-Harris administration waivers that allowed California and Oregon colleges to divert federal funds to serve illegal immigrants.
These waivers, part of the Performance Partnership Pilots for Disconnected Youth (P3) from the 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act (H.R. 3547), were meant to adjust the use of federal funds for “disconnected youth”—not to bankroll services for illegal students, the ED said. Under Biden-Harris, that intent got warped.
The funds came from TRIO programs, which is designed for low-income, first-generation, or disabled U.S. citizens and legal residents—think tutoring or college prep. The law’s clear: 34 CFR 646.3 limits TRIO to U.S. citizens or legal residents. Yet, Biden-era agreements that the Trump ED allowed me to review explicitly show that these citizenship requirements were waived.
Interestingly, left-wing outlets such as New America don’t deny that taxpayer funds supported illegal immigrants. They just shrug it off, arguing that no law explicitly bans it and that agencies can bend rules for “vulnerable students.”
Universities nationwide echo this disdain for the law.
[RELATED: Deterring Foreign Influence Is a Marathon—DETERRENT Act Gets Us Started]
As I previously reported, colleges and universities plan to harbor illegal students and defy the current administration’s deportation push. And, of course, they’re going to say no to the Trump administration’s “diversity, equity, and inclusion” overhauls. If a regulation cramps their style, they twist it.
Matthew G. Andersson, a regular Minding the Campus contributor, told me universities play word games. Their legal teams cook up “work-arounds” to snag federal cash, fueled by an “entitlement” mindset—acting like the money’s theirs, rules be damned—and dodging oversight with smug defiance.
Biden’s ED sidestepped CFR 646.3. Trump’s ED, like it or not, said enough.
Revoking these waivers follows Trump’s February executive order, “Ending Taxpayer Subsidization Of Open Borders,” reinforcing laws like PRWORA by barring illegal immigrants from taxpayer-funded benefits. The order directs federal agencies to identify and halt programs providing such benefits to illegal aliens, strengthen eligibility verification, and ensure federal funds don’t subsidize illegal immigration or “sanctuary” policies, upholding the PRWORA’s mandate that public resources prioritize American citizens and legal residents.
This revocation stops colleges and universities from draining funds meant for American students. Universities might howl, but this administration is saying “citizens first.”
Follow Jared Gould on X.
Cover by Jared Gould using image of “Exterior of the U.S. Department of Education building in Washington D.C.” by Andy Feliciotti on Unsplash and screenshot of 34 CFR 646.3 on Code of Federal Regulations
“This revocation stops colleges and universities from draining funds meant for American students. Universities might howl, but this administration is saying “citizens first.”
And how is Trump going to enforce this?
Seriously, how is he going to enforce it? The people running these programs are dedicated to both defying Trump *and* helping illegal aliens and they’ll play every game in the book — including cooking the books.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjbPi00k_ME
That’s your average academic administrator…