The number of young illegal immigrants in California applying for college financial aid has dropped more than 40 percent, reportedly amid fears of deportation under the Trump administration's new crackdown.
As of last Friday, the California Student Aid commission, which receives applications from students, said it had 19,768 new and renewed Dream Act applications compared with 34,162 during the same period last year, a drop of 42 percent, the San Jose Mercury News reported.
Of that number, there were 8,600 new applications from high school seniors compared with 13,200 at the same time last year, the newspaper reported.
"The numbers are really, really low," Patti Colston, a spokeswoman for the commission, told the newspaper.
Colston said the only federal agency that receives some student data is the Selective Service System, which is voluntary for applicants interested in joining the military. The commission hasn't gotten other requests from the federal government for student data – and does not plan to share it, she told the newspaper.
"This is a state program funded by state funds," she said. "That’s the assumption we're operating under."
Under the California Dream Act, undocumented students brought to the United States as children are eligible for in-state tuition and certain forms of financial aid while they are enrolled in state colleges and universities.
But with a new administration clamping down on illegal immigration, many students have become reluctant to share personal information, fearing deportation, the newspaper reported.
"We know the fear is real, and we see it in the numbers," state Assemblyman Jose Medina told the newspaper.
More than 20,000 California students have received state aid under the Dream Act since it took effect in 2013, the newspaper reported, citing data from Medina's office.
California was one of the first to provide illegal immigrants who attended California high schools in-state tuition rates.
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