The Biden-Harris Administration announced significant new actions Wednesday that will expand educational opportunities for Latino communities. This initiative is part of a broader effort to enhance economic opportunities, address immigration issues, and support Latino entrepreneurs.
“President Biden and Vice President Harris are working to ensure that all Latino families and communities can achieve great opportunities,” the White House said in a statement. “Over the past three years, the administration has taken historic action to expand opportunity for Latino families and communities.”
A key element of the policy change is an executive order establishing the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity through Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). HSIs, which educate over 4.7 million students, play a crucial role in the U.S. higher education system. The effort will increase federal support for these institutions, improve their financial stability, and align their programs with national and local economic needs, particularly in STEM fields.
The initiative seeks to bolster HSIs by increasing awareness of and access to federal programs, identifying and scaling effective strategies to support student success and economic mobility, and enhancing program offerings to meet the economic demands of local and national markets. It also aims to ensure HSIs remain fiscally secure, foster partnerships among HSIs, and philanthropic, public, and private sectors, and strengthen federal recruitment activities at HSIs to provide accessible career pathways for students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Additionally, the initiative will provide tools and data to improve educational equity and economic opportunity for students.
In addition to these educational initiatives, the administration is taking steps to make the United States’ immigration system fairer. New measures include helping U.S. citizens with noncitizen family members apply for lawful permanent residence without leaving the country, and issuing a proposed rule to expand the federal TRIO program to help Dreamers transition to college. The U.S. Department of Justice is also expanding its “Attorney of the Day” program to provide legal assistance to unrepresented individuals in immigration courts and increasing the availability of pro bono legal support.
