According to the Denton Record-Chronicle, Immigration legislation was released by House Republicans on April 17, 2023, cracking down on immigration. This proposed bill would allow the Homeland Security chief to refuse foreign citizens entry into the U.S. if the official thinks it is essential toward maintaining control of the border. It would also restrict asylum eligibility for migrants coming from the Mexican border, as well as limit the time migrants can request asylum, requiring that migrants obtain asylum while entering and not afterward. Furthermore, this would call for more immigration security, requiring that employers electronically verify that their employees have a work permit. If passed this bill would charge adults a $50 asylum fee and allow children to be detained with their parents to prevent child trafficking.
Also this week, NewsNation reported that the Biden Administration is putting into effect a new federal rule on May 1st, 2023 in the name of equity, which is being met with great backlash. Homeowners and potential buyers are urgently emphasizing how they “worked [their] whole life for high credit and put a lot of money down” and are now being told they are “rewarding bad credit.” Once the rule comes into effect, homeowners with high credit scores (680+) will be charged an additional monthly fee and will have higher mortgage rates to help the government make homeownership more accessible. The higher fees (when compared to those with lower credit scores) are meant to financially support the Biden Administration’s attempts at establishing affordable housing and assist those with riskier credit scores.
In lighter news, if President Biden’s student loan relief program is not approved, many states offer a multitude of relief programs that students will still be able to turn to. But, borrowers will have to begin their payments sixty days after the Supreme Court issues its decision on the relief program or sixty days after June 30th.
That said, almost all 50 states (at least 39% of states offer one student relief program) and the federal district have some form of relief program. North Dakota, Tennessee, and Utah are the only states who do not have at least one program. Minnesota offers the most amount of student relief programs (ten), with New York and Texas coming in second place with 9 student relief programs each. The amount of states offering relief programs and the number of programs has been decreasing over the years, so it is important for students seeking debt relief to begin the process before relief programs are no longer available. California offers three programs: Steven M. Thompson Physician Corps Loan Repayment, California State Loan Repayment Program, and CDA Foundation Student Loan Repayment Grant. California also has many more scholarships like the Middle-Class Scholarship, Cal grants, California Chafee Grant for Foster Youth, California National Guard Education Assistance Award Program (CNG EAAP), and Law Enforcement Personnel Dependents Grant Program (LEPD).
A full list of programs offered for each state is available at “The Full List of Student Forgiveness Programs by State.”