Will Submitting the FAFSA Put Undocumented Parents at Risk? This Group Thinks It Could.

"The message went out to 8,000 people. Late last week, a national college-access organization sent an urgent email to its members: Students who haven’t previously filed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, should “make a considered decision” about whether to do so. Undocumented immigrants who contribute to the form, the email said, could be 'targeted for punitive action in the future.' It was a warning, a word of caution, at a time when families of mixed immigration status find themselves in a perilous position," The Chronicle of Higher Education reports.

... "Karen McCarthy has been thinking carefully about the first question. 'This has been on our radar, but we’re still figuring out what the relevant law is here and digging into how much interpretation may be in play,' said McCarthy, vice president for public policy and federal relations at the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, or NASFAA."

"McCarthy has a lot to dig into, like the Privacy Act of 1974, which established a code of fair information practice that governs the use of personally identifiable information in records maintained by federal agencies. The federal law prohibits the disclosure of information from a system of records without an individual’s written consent, but there are several exceptions."

... "Also, that FAQ explains, any federal agency that receives such information from the department may use the data only for explicitly authorized purposes. 'This does not include any immigration or enforcement actions,' it states."

"McCarthy said NASFAA will continue assessing the concerns NCAN raised. 'We’re trying to figure out what the gray areas are and how big a risk this is for families. We wouldn’t want FAFSA data to be used to enforce any immigration law. We just don’t know yet how concerned we should be about that possibility.'"

NASFAA's "Notable Headlines" section highlights media coverage of financial aid to help members stay up to date with the latest news. Articles included under the notable headlines section are not written by NASFAA, but rather by external sources. Inclusion in Today's News does not imply endorsement of the material or guarantee the accuracy of information presented.

 

Publication Date: 11/26/2024

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