U.S. Education Department guidelines released Tuesday disallow undocumented and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) college students from receiving emergency coronavirus federal aid, reported Newsweek.
Betsy DeVosThe federal coronavirus stimulus package under the CARES Act allocates some $6 billion in cash grants for college and university students whose educations have been disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.
Department guidelines said only U.S. citizens or permanent residents who have filed, or are eligible to file, Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) are eligible for the grants that are intended for expenses such as childcare, food and housing.
Education Department press secretary Angela Morabito told Newsweek that Education Secretary Betsy DeVos was only following federal relief laws.
“The CARES Act makes clear that this taxpayer funded relief fund should be targeted to U.S. citizens, which is consistently echoed throughout the law,” Morabito said.
Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos on Tuesday made available $6.2 billion earmarked for institutional support to colleges and universities under the coronavirus stimulus package, or the CARES Act. The act, passed last month, allocated $14 billion in total for higher education.
