LatinoJustice and HACU Will Defend Hispanic-Serving Institutions Nationwide in Federal Lawsuit
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 14, 2025
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LatinoJustice and HACU Will Defend Hispanic-Serving Institutions Nationwide in Federal Lawsuit
Intervention granted in case the Department of Justice Declined to Defend
New York, NY – LatinoJustice PRLDEF, a national civil and human rights organization, and the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) have been granted party intervention in Tennessee and Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) v. U.S. Department of Education, a federal lawsuit that seeks to dismantle the federal Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) Program.
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee order, issued Friday, October 10, 2025, recognizes HACU’s vital interest in defending the HSI Program, which provides essential federal resources to more than 600 colleges and universities serving over 5.6 million students nationwide.
“This decision allows HACU, the leading voice for Hispanic-Serving Institutions, to stand in court and defend programs that ensure opportunity and equity for millions of students,” said Francisca Fajana, Director of Racial Justice Strategy, LatinoJustice PRLDEF. “The same forces that ended race-conscious admissions are now trying to defund institutions that serve Latino and first-generation students and we will not let them succeed.”
The lawsuit, filed by SFFA, the same organization that filed the 2023 Supreme Court case that effectively eliminated affirmative action in higher education admissions, and Tennessee state officials, claims that federal grants to HSIs and other Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) are unconstitutional. Recently, the Department of Justice declined to defend the case, and the Department of Education withdrew $230M in funding for the HSI program and similar programs for other minority-serving institutions.
Since the establishment of the HSI Program with bipartisan support in 1992, the program has helped close equity gaps in access to higher education by supporting under-resourced colleges that serve large numbers of Latino, low-income, and first-generation students.
The HSI program grants are given to schools that already serve large Latino populations. The schools do not seek out to admit larger numbers of Latino students. Grants benefit all students in the schools. Over two-thirds of Latino college students attend Hispanic-Serving Institutions. Hispanic-Serving Institutions include 615 HSIs nationwide, which enroll 67.3% of all Hispanic undergraduate students.
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About LatinoJustice
LatinoJustice PRLDEF works to create a more just society by using and challenging the rule of law to secure transformative, equitable and accessible justice, by empowering our community and by fostering leadership through advocacy and education. For over 50 years, LatinoJustice PRLDEF has acted as an advocate against injustices throughout the country. To learn more about LatinoJustice, visit www.LatinoJustice.org