The US Justice Department will no longer defend a decades-old grant program for colleges with large numbers of Hispanic students, deeming the funding as unconstitutional. The program aims to provide an advantage based on ethnicity, with grants reserved for colleges and universities where at least a quarter of undergraduates are Hispanic.
Tennessee and Students for Fair Admissions have sued the US Education Department, claiming that this advantage is discriminatory. The Justice Department’s decision comes after a 2023 Supreme Court ruling outlawed affirmative action in admissions decisions.
More than 500 colleges and universities participate in the grant program, which can be used for various purposes such as building improvements or science programs. Congress has approved $350 million for the program in 2024.
Hispanic-serving institutions are seen as crucial to address the lower graduation rates of Latino students compared to their white peers. The Justice Department’s decision has sparked concerns among Hispanic-serving universities, with some institutions being denied millions of dollars in funding due to not meeting the “arbitrary ethnic threshold”.
The Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling that prohibits considering student’s race in admissions decisions has implications for this grant program. Critics argue that it is unconstitutional and discriminates against white students.
Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/justice-department-hispanic-colleges-grants-unconstitutional