In June, the U.S. Supreme Court blocked President Biden's student loan debt relief plan that would have forgiven up to $20,000 debt for some student loan borrowers in the U.S. About half of all Latino borrowers would have had their entire debt forgiven under President Biden’s debt relief plan, according to Excelencia in Education, a Latino student advocacy organization.
Emily Labandera, director of research at Excelencia, said a significant barrier for Latino students is affordability. Labandera noted that Latino students often fall into the realm of a ‘post traditional’ student — post traditional students tend to mix their enrollment, work while attending school, or take longer to finish their degree.
Emily Labandera is the director of research for Excelencia in Education.
“[Student loan debt] impacts the choices they make for their family,” said Labandera. “We know how valuable a college degree is for a student and for Latino students because of their family and community values. One higher education degree can lift up a whole family in our community.”
Labandera said Latino student loan borrowers are overwhelmingly affected by student loan debt because many see it as necessary for upward mobility. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2021, about 2.12 million Hispanic families lived below the poverty level and Hispanics in poverty were 1.5 times more than their share in the general population.
“Most Latinos in post-secondary education come from low-income households and are the first in their families to go to college, often at the cost of enormous financial sacrifices from them and their family,” said Janet Janet Murguía, president and CEO of UnidosUS, a Latino civil rights and advocacy organization, in a press release.
Dr. Antonio Flores is the president and CEO of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities.
