Washington, D.C. – Today, President Biden released top lines for his budget request for fiscal year 2022 discretionary funding. As part of his budget, the President’s proposal increases Pell Grants, including making them available to students with DACA protections.
Juliana Macedo do Nascimento, Senior Advocacy Manager of United We Dream, said:
“We celebrate the inclusion of DACA recipients in Pell Grants and we recognize the administration’s commitment to undocumented students. The cost of admission remains a barrier to undocumented students hoping to go to college. As someone who navigated the college process as an undocumented student, it’s welcomed news to see President Biden making DACA recipients eligible for Pell Grants. Financial assistance for undocumented students need to continue being prioritized in all legislation.
Unfortunately, the Pell Grant eligibility only applies to DACA recipients, leaving the hundreds of thousands of undocumented young people who are ineligible for DACA still without access to federal financial support or permanent protections from deportation. As President Biden continues to find ways to improve the lives of undocumented youth, he must include a pathway to citizenship for millions of people in his infrastructure package. Our communities need relief, and they need relief now!”
