Legislative Tracker Archive: Immigration Issues
On this page, you will find previous proposals surrounding issues related to undocumented students and parents, refugees, and asylees at colleges and universities. Use these links to jump to a specific session of Congress.
117th Session of Congress
H.R.7825 — No Funding for Sanctuary Campuses Act
Sponsor: Rep. Murphy [R-NC]
Cosponsors: 3 (0D; 3R)
Introduced: 05/18/2022
NASFAA Summary & Analysis: This bill designates "sanctuary campuses," whose policies restrict staff members from cooperating with federal officials on immigration law or who harbor and provide education for students who lack lawful status, from receiving federal student aid funding.
116th Session of Congress
H.R.3391 - To Offer Refugees College Help (TORCH) Act
Sponsor: Rep. Huffman, Jared [D-CA]
Cosponsors: 30 (0 R; 30 D)
Introduced: 06/20/2019
NASFAA Analysis & Coverage: This bill would require states to provide in-state tuition rates to refugees and asylees.
H.R.6 - American Dream and Promise Act of 2019
Sponsor: Rep. Roybal-Allard (D-CA)
Co-Sponsors: 227 (0 R; 227 D)
Introduced: 03/12/2019
NASFAA Analysis & Coverage: This comprehensive immigration bill would allow some undocumented young people, who have already invested in our country and in whom the country has already invested, to earn lawful permanent residence in the United States and a path to citizenship. The bill would also allow Dreamers to be eligible for Title IV federal student aid programs.
H.R.1298 - Higher Education Dream Act of 2019
Sponsor: Rep. Lewis (D-GA)
Co-Sponsors: 44 (0 R; 44 D)
Introduced: 02/15/2019
NASFAA Analysis & Coverage: This bill would prohibit institutions of higher education that receive federal financial aid from discriminating against a Dreamer student because of their immigration status. This bill would protect these students from discrimination as it relates to admissions, financial aid, and tuition rate. The bill also prohibits any officer at an institution of higher education from using the information about a student's immigration status to arrest or detain the student.
H.R.1190 - To prohibit an alien who is not in a lawful immigration status in the United States from being eligible for postsecondary education benefits that are not available to all citizens and nationals of the United States.
Sponsor: Rep. Gosar (R-AZ)
Co-Sponsors: 9 (9 R; 0 D)
Introduced: 02/13/2019
NASFAA Analysis & Coverage: This bill would prohibit students without a lawful immigration status from receiving financial aid benefits that are not available to all United States citizens.
H.R.768 - No Funding for Sanctuary Campuses Act
Sponsor: Rep. Hunter (R-CA)
Co-Sponsors: 17 (17 R; 0 D)
Introduced: 01/24/2019
NASFAA Analysis & Coverage: This bill prohibits federal financial aid for higher education institutions that have "sanctuary campus" policies in effect to shield or protect undocumented students from law enforcement. Institutions would be classified as a "sanctuary campus" by the Secretary of Homeland Security based on several criteria outlined in the bill.
115th Session of Congress
| Higher Education Dream Act | |||
| HR 6525 | Sponsor: Rep. Lewis (D-GA) |
Co-Sponsors: 15 (15 R; 0 D) |
Introduced: 7/25/2018 |
| NASFAA Analysis & Coverage: This bill would prohibit admission and tuition pricing discrimination on the basis of immigration status at institutions receiving federal funds. The bill would prohibit institutions from using furnished immigration information to arrest, detain, or initiate removal proceedings against students. Schools would also be prohibited from publishing or sharing said information. | |||
| Tuition Fairness for Citizens Act | |||
| HR 5229 | Sponsor: Rep. Perry (R-PA) |
Co-Sponsors: 5 (5 R; 0 D) |
Introduced: 3/8/2018 |
| NASFAA Analysis & Coverage: This bill would prohibit "an alien who is not lawfully present in the United States" from eligibility for any postsecondary education benefit "unless all citizens and nationals of the United States" are also eligible. | |||
| American Hope Act | |||
| HR 3591 | Sponsor: Rep. Gutierrez (D-IL) |
Co-Sponsors: 155 (0 R; 155 D) |
Introduced: 7/28/2017 |
| NASFAA Analysis & Coverage: This comprehensive immigration bill would allow DACA beneficiaries and other immigrant youth to apply for "conditional permanent resident" (CPR) status. An individual with CPR status would then be eligible for federal student aid. If a CPR-status individual remains in compliance with the law for three years, the individual would be eligible to become a "lawful permanent resident" (LPR). The bill also creates a five-year path to citizenship, where time spent in CPR or LPR status would count toward the five-year requirement. The bill also repeals section 505 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (IIRIRA), which prohibits institutions from offering in-state tuition to undocumented students without also offering in-state tuition to students from other states. | |||
| To Offer Refugees College Help (TORCH) Act | |||
| HR 2944 | Sponsor: Rep. Huffman (D-CA) |
Co-Sponsors: 60 (0 R; 60 D) |
Introduced: 6/20/2017 |
| NASFAA Analysis & Coverage: The bill would require public institutions to charge in-state tuition to refugees and asylees if the first state the refugee or asylee settled was in the institution's state. | |||
| FIFA Act | |||
| HR 2072 | Sponsor: Rep. Veasey (D-TX) |
Co-Sponsors: 0 (0 R; 0 D) |
Introduced: 4/6/2017 |
| NASFAA Analysis & Coverage: The Fairness in Financial Aid (FIFA) Act would allow applicants to provide a social security number or a Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) in order to receive a Personal Identification Number to use on the FAFSA. The change aims to ensure that mixed-status immigrant families are not prevented from accessing eligible financial aid. | |||
| American Dream Promise Act | |||
| HR 2071 | Sponsor: Rep. Veasey (D-TX) |
Co-Sponsors: 0 (0 R; 0 D) |
Introduced: 4/6/2017 |
| NASFAA Analysis & Coverage: This bill would add, as condition of receiving federal student aid, to program participation agreements (PPAs) that "the institution will not deny a student admission at such institution on the basis of the student’s immigration or naturalization status." | |||
| FAFSA for All Act | |||
| HR 2070 | Sponsor: Rep. Veasey (D-TX) |
Co-Sponsors: 8 (0 R; 8 D) |
Introduced: 4/6/2017 |
| NASFAA Analysis & Coverage: The bill would require the Department of Education to include guidance on how dependent students with noncitizen parents may obtain federal student aid. In addition, the bill includes provisions for an online upload tool to streamline the application process for these students. | |||
| Protect DREAMer Confidentiality Act | |||
| S. 229 | Sponsor: Sen. Heinrich (D-NM) |
Co-Sponsors: 12 (0 R; 12 D) |
Introduced: 1/24/2017 |
| NASFAA Analysis & Coverage: This bill would block the disclosure or transmission of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program participant information for purposes other than the implementation of the program itself, exempt in the case of national security concerns. | |||
| BRIDGE Act |
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| S. 128 | Sponsor: Sen. Graham (R-SC) |
Co-Sponsors: 9 (3 R; 6 D) |
Introduced: 1/12/2017 |
| HR 496 | Sponsor: Rep. Coffman (R-CO) |
Co-Sponsors: 31 (15 R; 16 D) |
Introduced: 1/12/2017 |
| NASFAA Analysis & Coverage: This measure, the "Bar Removal of Individuals who Dream and Grow our Economy (BRIDGE) Act," would provide three years of provisional protected status to recipients of deferred action status under President Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and to those currently eligible but not yet participating in DACA. | |||
| No Funding for Sanctuary Campuses Act | |||
| HR 483 | Sponsor: Rep. Hunter (R-CA) |
Co-Sponsors: 17 (17 R; 0 D) |
Introduced: 1/12/2017 |
| NASFAA Analysis & Coverage: This bill prohibits federal financial aid for higher education institutions that have "sanctuary campus" policies in effect to shield or protect undocumented students from law enforcement. Institutions would be classified as a "sanctuary campus" by the Secretary of Homeland Security based on several criteria outlined in the bill. | |||
Publication Date: 2/15/2023