Students whose parents are undocumented immigrants are being warned that applying for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) could put their family’s immigration status at risk.
Currently, federal law prohibits the disclosure or sharing of information managed by federal agencies with other agencies without the consent of the individual. However, as President-elect Donald Trump has stated that he will take all measures to deport undocumented immigrants, some suggest that there is a possibility that personal records will be shared.
Last week, the National College Attainment Network (NCAN) sent an email to its 8,000 members, advising them to consider carefully before submitting the FAFSA if they have undocumented family members, indicating that there is a chance that the information entered when applying for the FAFSA be used against them.
The Higher Education Act (HEA) prohibits the use of FAFSA application data for any purpose other than distributing federal aid. However, in the email, NCAN said, “At this time, we cannot guarantee that the Department of Education’s FAFSA data will be protected in the future.”
When a student who is a U.S. citizen applies for the FAFSA, the student is also required to enter the Social Security Number (SSN) of the parents. If the student does not have an SSN, they can fill in all the fields with zeros. Experts explained that such information could be shared and used to track undocumented immigrants.
Data entered when applying for tuition assistance provided by state governments, such as New York, can also be used to infer immigration status information. Colleges like the State University of New York (SUNY) often require students to fill out the FAFSA to apply for state aid. In this case, undocumented students must download and submit a separate application, and if this data is shared with immigration enforcement, their status may be exposed.
“If undocumented students have family members, the risks of submitting a FAFSA application may outweigh the benefits of receiving financial aid,” said NCAN.
The Department of Education estimates that about 340,000 students from families with undocumented members file the FAFSA each year. The immigration advocacy nonprofit organization FWD.us has revealed that about 500,000 students aged 17 to 21 have at least one undocumented parent.
BY EUNBYUL KIM, HOONSIK WOO [kim.eb@koreadailyny.com]
