U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, put the Trump White House on blast for ending a federal grant program that assists predominantly Hispanic-serving institutions, or HSIs.
The U.S. The Department of Education (DOE) confirmed this week — which also happens to be HSI Week — that it’s ending discretionary grants to institutions with that designation. U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon said the specialized funding promoted “government-mandated racial quotas.”
However, in a joint statement issued with U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, D-California, Castro described the administration’s move as “discriminatory.”
“The Administration’s reckless decision will devastate universities across the country in red and blue states as well as urban and rural areas that serve working-class students and students of color,” Castro and Padilla said. “Congress passed laws on a bipartisan basis to establish and support funding for our nation’s Hispanic-Serving Institutions and Minority-Serving Institutions that are economic mobility engines. This action not only jeopardizes the education of the millions of students who attend these institutions, but threatens the future of our workforce.”
Majority-minority San Antonio is home to several HSIs, or accredited institutions with at least a quarter of undergraduates identifying as Hispanic or Latino. That list includes the University of Texas at San Antonio, Texas A&M University-San Antonio, Our Lady of the Lake University and all five Alamo Colleges campuses.
Our Lady of the Lake received $12 million in grant funding over the past five years, according to KSAT.
Despite the Trump administration’s claims that the grants only benefit Hispanic students, OLLU Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs Teresita Munguia told the TV station that the money benefits all who attend the school.
Meanwhile, David Mendez, interim CEO of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, warned that small institutions such as OLLU and the Alamo Colleges, are most likely to feel the pinch from the missing federal dollars.
“Small institutions need those funds in order to continue with their mission,” Mendez told KSAT.
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