As a deeply impacted member of my community, I see the struggles of mixed status families around me every day. We live with anxiety when thinking about the possibility of not being able to obtain the financial aid required for higher education. This is due to President Trump's new 'anti-immigrants' policies which can potentially give out FAFSA's information and will affect mixed status families.  

Although the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act protects families' information, there is still uncertainty with all of Trump's policies. For instance, Musk's Doge has gained unlawful access to private personal data of many Americans. We fear that this private information will be misused by the government, especially in light of increased ICE activity. This fear of exposure prevents students from applying for FAFSA, causing many capable young minds to surrender their dreams of advanced education due to financial difficulties.

According to a report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, financial obstacles prevent 2.4 million low-income high school graduates from attending college. 

TAP is a safe way for students to receive aid since it is through New York State Higher Education Service's Corporations. The problem is that students aren't able to fill out TAP because they need to fill out the FAFSA application first. New York State needs to give students the opportunity to fill out TAP without needing to fill out FAFSA. The state is already working in an alternative way but we need them to expedite this process so that high school seniors can accept their colleges and plan their budgets.

We must urge our government to expedite and create a protected path to financial aid for mixed status families. Our community will succeed when all of its members - regardless of their status - are given the equal opportunities they deserve. Act now, and sign this petition.