A new policy from President Donald Trump’s administration will require students who enroll in adult education classes to provide proof of citizenship or legal immigration status.
That means Indianapolis programs will have to start verifying immigration status when students enroll in English language or basic education classes — or risk losing funding.
“These policies contradict our mission as an organization,” said Ruba Marshood, CEO of Indy Reads, a nonprofit that teaches adult literacy and language classes. “In the face of growing demand … we’re trying to grow, not shrink. So we’re facing all of that and trying to figure it out.”
In a July 10 news release, U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said the Trump administration wants to ensure that federal funds are being spent on American citizens.
According to federal data, over 25,000 students participated in Indiana’s adult education programs from July 2023 to June 2024. About a third of those students were taking English language classes.
Some advocates worry that collecting immigration statuses could fuel an environment of fear around adult education classes, even for people who are in the country legally.
“If people are not going to be able to learn English, then they’re going to remain in low-paying jobs, which is going to impact the health and well-being of themselves and their families,” said Gurinder Kaur, CEO of the Immigrant Welcome Center.
After the Trump administration’s directive, 21 Democratic attorneys general filed a lawsuit, saying that the new policy is unlawful and would cause damage to communities nationwide.
But Indiana plans to enforce the new requirements, according to a policy change document published July 30.
“Our goal for Adult Education has been and will continue to be to help adult learners earn a high school equivalency efficiently so they may continue forward in their career trajectory,” Lindsay Lindsey, spokesperson for the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, wrote in an email.
What changes are in store?
The policy change means federally funded adult education classes will not be open to people living in the U.S. without legal status for the first time in nearly three decades.
In 1997, former President Bill Clinton’s administration issued a memo declaring that immigrants without legal status should still be eligible for certain federal education programs, including adult and special education.
That will change Sept. 10. The recent Trump directive overturns the 1997 guidance from the Clinton administration.
Also included under the new guidance are other federally funded programs like Head Start preschool classes and certain behavioral and mental health clinics. That means some patients, parents and students who receive those services could also be asked to provide their immigration status.
The new policy comes after the Trump administration told states earlier this year that it was withholding over $6 billion in approved federal education funds, including more than $715 million for adult literacy and English language classes. Though the government unfroze the funding in late July, Indy adult education providers have had to delay classes and are operating weeks behind schedule.
How has Indiana responded?
The Indiana Department of Workforce Development is responsible for distributing federal funds to local schools and programs.
Starting Sept. 10, states will have to verify that adult education students have legal status in the U.S., according to a policy change published by the Indiana Department of Workforce Development on July 30.
According to the document, participants will have to provide their U.S. birth certificate, Real ID or Department of Homeland Security immigration documents.
Department of Workforce Development spokesperson Elizabeth Presson said in an email that the state would be checking for eligibility, but did not provide specific details when asked what would happen if local programs don’t comply.
“When we find a program out of compliance with any policy,” Presson wrote, “we require a corrective action plan to bring the program into compliance.”
How have Indy’s adult education programs responded?
Washington, Wayne and Warren township schools — as well as nonprofits such as Indy Reads and the YMCA — all offer adult education programs in Marion County that rely in varying degrees on federal support.
Though a new school year has already begun, some Indianapolis program officials say they’re waiting for guidance from the state, which oversees the release of federal funds, about how to comply with the new policy. Others are already making their own plans to comply with the order.
These programs don’t yet know exactly if or how the order will be enforced, but they don’t want to find out.
In an emailed statement, Natalie Reuter, director of adult and continuing education for Warren Township, said the district is “awaiting further guidance on the specific requirements” from the state.
A Wayne Township Adult Education staffer said in an email the district is in the process of complying with the federal order.
Todd Deley, director of Washington Township Adult Education, said the program will begin collecting and documenting all students’ legal status as they register for classes in the coming weeks.
It comes after Washington Township paused enrollment for its English language classes when the Trump administration implemented its funding freeze earlier this summer. Deley said students have been calling the adult education office for weeks, asking when classes will be back.
“People have been extremely patient and understanding,” Deley said, “but they’re chomping at the bit now.”
At nonprofit Indy Reads, Marshood said the organization’s already decided they won’t be collecting or reporting students’ immigration status.
The organization is still deciding how to respond to the federal change. That could include a decision to no longer apply government funding to its English classes. Indy Reads will continue to work with the Department for Workforce Development to fund other programs. Marshood said federal and state funding made up just 17% of the nonprofit’s total budget last year.
“We don’t believe that there’s some reason that somebody deserves to learn more than somebody else,” Marshood said. “There’s no piece of paper that makes that true.”
Some programs are unaffected
Not all adult education programs receive federal funding. Some programs, therefore, won’t be affected.
For example, the Immigrant Welcome Center has classes for beginning English learners and for those with less than six years of formal education in their home countries.
The center will continue to offer those classes, Kaur said, and will not ask students to provide identification or proof of residency.
But Kaur said the center is also looking for opportunities to expand the populations they serve in light of the new policy.
“We are trying to find solutions,” Kaur said.
An clarification was made Aug. 19, 2025: This story was updated to more clearly reflect Indy Reads’ response to the federal directive.
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Claire Rafford covers higher education for Mirror Indy in partnership with Open Campus. Contact Claire by email claire.rafford@mirrorindy.org, on most social media @clairerafford or on Signal 317-759-0429.
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