Photo by Elizabeth Reich
By Elizabeth Reich and Gershon Salzberg
Donald Trump’s second presidency is coming, whether we like it or not. Though we live in the blue state of New York, Trump and his cabinet aim for policies that will affect populations regardless of where they live or who they voted for. As a public college, City College, along with the wider CUNY system and the programs it houses, may be under attack in the coming years. Project 2025, a 900-page policy recommendation book from conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation, calls college “a higher education establishment captured by woke ‘diversicrats’ and a de facto monopoly enforced by the federal accreditation cartel.” Within Project 2025 and Trump’s own cabinet, ideas about fundamentally changing education, immigration, and abortion access have captured the attention of lawmakers and activists alike. But when it really comes down to it, what changes will we see with our own eyes, on a campus like City College’s?
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Headlines across the country have reported that Donald Trump is eyeing the elimination of the Department of Education. But it seems to be off the chopping block for now, with only Linda McMahon, former Administrator of the Small Business Administration and once wife of WWE CEO Vince McMahon, leading it. On a publicly funded campus such as CCNY, how will Trump’s presidency affect not only our school’s funding but also students’ financial aid?
Project 2025 lays out its perspective right away in a crystal clear fashion. The chapter on the Department of Education opens by stating that “Federal education policy should be limited and, ultimately, the federal Department of Education should be eliminated.” It also does away with Biden’s income-based student loan repayment plans while disposing of public service workers’ federal student debt forgiveness. Another attack on colleges that Project 2025 lays out is the removal of independent third-party accreditors of college programs, instead leaving it up to the states to create their own accreditation programs, which could lead to more partisan biased accreditations.
The other major attacks on college education that Project 2025 contains are the banning of federal funding for critical race theory, the shutting down of area studies programs like Black Studies, Women and Gender Studies, etc., as well as limiting research into the effects of climate change. Additionally, Project 2025 seeks to roll back Title IX protections for LGBTQIA+ students that were expanded under the Biden administration.
As for Trump himself, he has also called for the elimination of the Department of Education, and potentially roll back Title IX protections. Another of Trump’s stances, which he has pushed hard for in the past, is universal school choice and increased funding for private schools. His campaign promises also include a plan for prayer in public schools, more parental choice when it comes to the education of their children, and patriotism as a centerpiece of education with more emphasis on the “American Way of Life.” He has also called for the dismantling of initiatives that increase diversity in an educational setting.
IMMIGRATION
The topic of immigration has been one of the main focuses of the Trump campaign. There is a massive section devoted to border security and policy in the Project 2025 document. One of the main concerns for Republicans taking office is revising the pathways to citizenship as well as the criminalization of so-called “illegal aliens.” Project 2025 recommends that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection combines with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to secure the nation’s border. Together, the merged agencies would head investigations into immigration. To aid with these investigations, “component aviation assets under the Office of Air and Marine,” along with horseback-mounted Border Patrol will run missions. As for legal pathways to citizenship, Project 2025 recommends the elimination of T and U visas – making it harder to become part of the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) – and strengthening the 287(g) program. SEVP allows nonimmigrants to come to the United States to study and enroll in academic or vocational schools. The 287(g) program allows ICE to work with state and local authorities to arrest and deport “noncitizens who undermine the safety of our nation’s communities and the integrity of U.S. immigration laws,” according to ice.gov.
Aside from these national immigration programs, CCNY and CUNY as a whole offer multiple immigration resources and services to aid its students, both documented and undocumented. Under a program called Citizenship Now! CUNY has offered “free, high-quality, and confidential immigration law services” since 1997. Immigrant students are also able to access in-state tuition rates, the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP), and the Excelsior scholarship. On City College’s campus, the Immigrant Student Resource and Research Center (ISRRC) aims to support and guide immigrant students regardless of their immigration status through the college experience. But as The Heritage Foundation advocates for the restriction or altogether elimination of many immigrant initiatives, what might happen here at CCNY?
Daniela Alulema, the interim Director of the ISRRC, says that the next six weeks will be critical in preparing for the next Trump administration. Based on his last presidency, Alulema expects there to be a “chilling effect” when it comes to immigrants accessing the resources available to them. “Immigrants may feel reluctant to apply for programs that they are eligible for,” she says. “This fear can even impact people who have a green card.” This apprehension springs out of the rhetoric the Trump administration has used around immigration, including threats of mass deportation.
Another way immigrant students might be impacted is by changes in the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) filing process. The revised application requests more information on parents’ citizenship/immigration status, and some students may feel afraid to give out such information. Consequently, the number of qualifying immigrants who can use FAFSA might drop during the next Trump presidency.
In response, the ISRRC and CUNY are taking steps to prepare as much as possible. Alulema says that the fight will be waged through the dissemination of information. She stressed the importance of legal screenings, as students might be able to apply for more benefits or programs than they’re aware of. Many of the existing programs will remain intact at the state level, but it’s important for immigrants to know their rights and privileges. Alulema also says the ISRRC is working with the Counseling Center to help students get through these tough times.
As for now, Alulema does have advice for those worried about their immigration status. “It’s perfectly fine to be afraid and to grieve during this time,” she says, “but I want to remind students that there is power in numbers.” During the last Trump administration, CCNY and campuses across the United States saw the organization of immigrant students - documented and undocumented alike. “I want to remind students that being undocumented is not a crime. You are not alone,” Alulema continued. “Find power in your community. And for those with citizenship, this is the time to stand up for your fellow students.” She also encouraged students who are comfortable with sharing their immigration status to create a support system around themselves. In the coming months, it seems having an informed group around you is what will make the difference.
ABORTION ACCESS
Trump has gone back and forth in his public statements on his stance on abortion, declining during the presidential debate to firmly say one way or the other if he would sign a national ban. But he has taken credit for the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade, touting the three appointments he made to the court that voted to repeal it. However, Project 2025 charges the Secretary of Health Services with pursuing a robust agenda to protect the fundamental right to life and states that from the moment of conception, every human being possesses inherent dignity and worth. It explicitly says abortion is not health care.
However, in NYS, it is legal to get an abortion until the 24th week of pregnancy. This protection seems likely to remain in place due to Trump’s opinion that the right to abortion should continue to be in the hands of each state. Additionally, an amendment to the state constitution, the Equal Rights Amendment, was just enshrined by the state’s voters that bars discrimination based on pregnancy outcomes or reproductive healthcare and autonomy among other things. Kit Lee, a representative for Pills4ThePeople, an advocacy group fighting for increased access to abortion pills and emergency contraceptives on CCNY’s campus, said that “while it doesn’t specifically say ‘abortion’ this amendment should make it more difficult for the New York Legislature (or Trump) to enact abortion restrictions in the future.” Additionally, Pills4ThePeople plans to amp up its work in future campaigns and is currently working on setting up a meeting with NY Senator Cordell Cleare, one of the sponsors of the Equal Rights Amendment.
However, even if Trump doesn’t sign an outright national abortion ban into place, there is another mechanism he can use to curtail access to abortion medication sharply. The Comstock Act is an 1873 anti-vice law that prohibits the mailing across state lines of “obscene, lewd, or lascivious” writings, or “any article or thing designed or intended for the prevention of conception or procuring an abortion.” Under the Biden administration, the Department of Justice has released an opinion that states that the Comstock Act “does not prohibit the mailing, or delivery or receipt by mail, of mifepristone or misoprostol where the sender lacks the intent that the recipient of the drugs will use them unlawfully.” The Biden administration has held the opinion that because there are legal uses in all 50 states for these abortion medications – to save the life of a pregnant person, for example – there is no way to determine the intent of the sender. However, this can all change under a Trump administration more hostile to abortion rights, especially as Justices Alito and Thomas of the Supreme Court have signaled that they would be willing to uphold a more vigorous enforcement of the Comstock Act.
While it remains to be seen how all of this plays out, the fight to ensure abortion access isn’t letting up, including on CCNY’s campus. There is ongoing advocacy to enshrine abortion access on campus as highlighted by Pills4ThePeople’s five demands, which can be read about in The Paper’s article here.
NOW WHAT?
As for what comes next, all we can do is wait for Trump to take office. Some initiatives might be pushed through by Congress, some might fail. In the areas of abortion and immigration, preparation is key. Understand your rights as a student and as a citizen, and work together with the rest of the campus community. As Daniela Alulema said, there is strength in numbers. And as Lady Jessica said in Dune, “I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.” We cannot let our campus and our rights be obliterated. Now we must stand together and for each other against the rising tide.
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