ANN ARBOR, MI – The U.S. Department of Education is investigating the University of Michigan and four other institutions over scholarships granted to immigrant or undocumented students after claims the program discriminates against their American-born peers.
In a release Wednesday, July 23, the department’s Office of Civil Rights pointed to complaints from the Rhode Island-based Legal Insurrection Foundation’s Equal Protection Project as the source of its investigation, which also targets Western Michigan University, the University of Louisville, the University of Nebraska and the University of Miami.
The project filed a complaint earlier this week with the civil rights office, citing UM’s Dreamer Scholarship, which accommodates undocumented students and those considered to be Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, commonly referred to as DACA, a program designed to protect and help young adults brought into the country as children without legal permission.
“Because DACA only applies to persons born outside the United States who meet certain additional criteria, restricting scholarship eligibility to DACA recipients constitutes discrimination based on national origin and violates Title VI,” the July 21 complaint states. “… Similarly, ‘undocumented’ status only applies to students born outside the United States. This scholarship discriminates against American-born students.”
Acting U.S. Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Turner said in a statement Wednesday that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited universities’ use of national origin as a basis for qualifying for a scholarship that otherwise denies “our fellow citizens the opportunity to compete.”
The federal investigation, he said, is in step with President Donald Trump’s pledge to pursue “America-first policies.”
In his own statement, William Jacobson, founder of the Equal Protection Project, said the complaint was about protecting “equal access to education” for students, including if they’re American-born.
“We are gratified that the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights is acting on our complaints regarding scholarships that excluded American-born students,” he said.
University of Michigan officials have been mum in response to the complaint and investigation.
“The university has received a letter of notification relating to this matter,” said Kay Jarvis, director of public affairs. “We have no further comment.”
WMU is also a focus for its undocumented or DACA scholarship in addition to its Elissa Gatlin Endowed Scholarship for African American, Native American or Hispanic American students.
On Wednesday, WMU spokesperson Paula Davis confirmed they’d received notice that federal authorities were looking into Western scholarships, adding, “The university takes compliance seriously. We are reviewing the scholarship program, and we will cooperate with authorities.”
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