July 17, 2024

Hispanic-Serving Institutions Caucus Democratic Co-Chairs Applaud Executive Actions to Expand Educational Opportunities for Latino Students

WASHINGTON — Today, Reps. Joaquin Castro (TX-20) and Raúl Grijalva (AZ-07), Democratic Co-Chairs of the House Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI) Caucus, along with U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (CA), co-chair of the Senate HSI Caucus, issued a joint statement applauding key actions the Biden-Harris Administration will take to expand educational opportunities for Latino students. 

The actions will establish the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity through Hispanic-Serving Institutions and the President’s Board of Advisors for HSIs. The lawmakers also applauded a Department of Education proposed rule to expand the federal TRIO program, which helps low-income students, including Dreamers, successfully transition to higher education:

“A good education is the foundation of the American Dream. For too long, our nation has tolerated an unacceptable gap in college attendance and completion rates for Latino students. The strength of our workforce and economy depends on giving every student a fair chance at a quality higher education — and Hispanic-Serving Institutions are critical partners in achieving this goal," the lawmakers wrote.

“The Biden-Harris Administration’s announcement today will help advance educational excellence across HSIs, increase pathways to higher education, and prepare the next generation of our nation’s workforce. The Administration is also taking key steps today to help thousands of Dreamers and other aspiring first-generation students get the resources and support services they need to smoothly transition to college. As leaders of the Hispanic-Serving Institutions Congressional Caucuses, we remain fiercely committed to building on this announcement to provide HSIs with the necessary tools to uplift Latino communities across our country,” the lawmakers continued.

Hispanic-Serving Institutions are accredited, degree-granting, public or private nonprofit institutions of higher education with 25 percent or higher total undergraduate Hispanic or Latino full-time students. There are 600 HSIs in the United States that enroll over two-thirds of all Hispanic undergraduate students and more than 4.7 million students. Texas has the second-highest number of HSIs of any state, including 111 HSIs and 41 emerging HSIs. San Antonio has twelve Hispanic-serving institutions, including Northwest Vista College, Our Lady of the Lake University, Palo Alto College, San Antonio College, St. Mary's University, St. Philip's College, Texas A&M University-San Antonio, The University of Texas at San Antonio, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Trinity University, The University of the Incarnate Word, and Hallmark University.

As a co-chair of the House HSI Caucus, Congressman Castro has strongly advocated for expanding educational opportunities for Latino students. Last September, he introduced a bipartisan resolution to designate National Hispanic Serving Institutions Week and raise awareness about the important role of HSIs in higher education. Castro additionally authored the bicameral, bipartisan Hispanic Educational Resources and Empowerment (HERE) Act, which aims to provide Hispanic and Latino students with the necessary tools and resources to reduce the higher education achievement gap. He has also been a longtime advocate for increasing federal investment in HSIs through the annual appropriations process.