Charleston Reporter

Congresswoman Nancy Mace has introduced the American Students First Act with the aim of prohibiting federal funding for public colleges and universities that offer in-state tuition or state-based financial aid to illegal immigrants. Mace emphasized the legislation's intent, stating, "Any institution choosing to prioritize illegal aliens over American students deserves to be completely cut off from federal funding. If a school wants to reward illegal immigration, they can do it without a single dime of federal taxpayer money."

According to the proposed legislation, public colleges and universities will be ineligible for federal funding if they charge in-state tuition rates to illegal immigrants that are equal to or lower than those charged to legal state residents, or if they provide them with state-based financial aid, including scholarships, grants, or other forms of financial assistance funded by the state.

The bill seeks to amend Section 505 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, effectively denying federal financial help to public institutions of higher education that offer in-state tuition or state-funded financial aid to illegal immigrants. Institutions that do not comply with this policy would face the loss of federal funding for the fiscal year following the violation.

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