MSU’s Migrant Student Program Responds to Federal Funding Cuts in Support of Migrant Farmworker Students

East Lansing, MI – The College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) at Michigan State University has stopped receiving funding from the Education Department. In response, discussions with the university are already underway, and the program is organizing a fundraising event on Dec. 10^th to support its students for the rest of the 2025-2026 academic year.

“This year, there is nothing from the federal government, there is no budget, there is zero,” said Luis Garcia, CAMP’s Senior Specialist Director. 

Additionally, the widely reported 9% general budget reduction over the next two fiscal years by the university has hit departments and programs across campus.

The federal funding halt follows the proposed FY 2026 budget under President Trump, which, according to a letter from the Committee on Appropriations issued in May, states that Migrant Education and Special Programs for Migrant Students “have not been proven effective, are extremely costly, and encourage ineligible non-citizens to access U.S. Institutions of higher education (IHEs), stripping resources from American students.”

“What are we going to do? What will happen to the students who want to build their future here at MSU with CAMP?” Jazmín Martínez, 20, wonders if the program’s future is not favorable.

Martinez, a social work sophomore at MSU, used to work in agricultural fields with her family across different states to help sustain their livelihood — work that qualified her for the CAMP program. 

The CAMP program, created in 1972 as a federal initiative, aims to assist students from migrant farmworker families during their freshmen year, regardless of citizenship or permanent residency status. Providing funding to about 59 colleges and academies nationwide, the program was brought to MSU 25 years ago and is currently the only one of its kind in the Midwest.

Garcia clarifies that the program isn’t focused on immigrant families arriving in the U.S., but rather on seasonal agricultural workers. However, “What’s happening in the agricultural sector in America? Most of those workers are Latinos. That’s the reality of the United States, and they are being the most affected,” he said.

Money comes and goes

In mid-September, García was informed that the Education Department would not be renewing the funding it typically requests for a five-year period to maintain the program, which was awarded after previous proposals were submitted and reviewed. The department also clarified that it would no longer review CAMP’s proposals.

Every five years, CAMP receives around $2,100,000—about $425,000 per year—from the U.S. government, distributed through the Department of Education. By Oct 1^st, they would’ve received new funding, as it was the beginning of a new fiscal year for the feds.

“For the CAMP program, the Education Department wouldn’t even evaluate the proposal to determine whether to provide funding. They decided not to fund anyone at all,” Garcia said.

This year, the university is reducing its budget spending by 6%, and by 3% next year, due to external sources, including federal funding cuts, a measure that is affecting departments across campus. It was announced by MSU President Kevin Guskiewicz during the summer.

A total of 99 layoffs between support, faculty, and academic staff were made in October. Garcia affirmed that no layoffs have taken place within CAMP, as they are mitigating the impact with emergency funds.

In the midst of this budget conflict, at the Oct. 31 board meeting, the MSU Board of Trustees approved a 1.5% raise for Guskiewicz, raising his base salary $975,000 to $1,029,210. The salary raise and promotion were also on the agenda for executive management and faculty staff.

MSU spokesperson Amber McCann indicated that the increases are done annually, with faculty receiving annual increases of 3% and around 1.5% for executive management. They follow agreements with worker unions and external contractors, while the president’s salary raise is decided exclusively by the board.

She also mentioned that the university, through the president and the provost’s office, is actively seeking additional funding sources to ensure the continuity of CAMP, with or without federal support, through fundraising, pursuing grants, and engaging university leadership.

“Even before the grant ended this summer, the Office of Undergraduate Education, where CAMP is housed, made arrangements to provide sufficient funding for the program through at least the next year,” McCann said.

Although the ground remains unstable, Garcia hopes that Congress will push back to help loosen the national budget for new projects, so they can begin submitting applications in February next year and receive responses by July to maintain the program. For now, they can only wait and see.

Eliminating the program is off the table

Despite the university’s financial support and efforts to prevent these issues, CAMP had already begun reducing its service capacity and becoming more selective with new students.

Annually, the program typically brings between 50 and 60 students to MSU, but this year, anticipating these financial issues, they brought in 30, and they plan on maintaining smaller numbers.

“It really does start to have an impact,” Garcia said. “Not at the level we could with federal money, but enough services to ensure that the students we’re bringing in—and those already enrolled—aren’t harmed.”

Most of CAMP’s students are the first in their families to attend university, and they receive financial help for tuition and books. They are also provided with study spaces, laptops, and printing service at the Migrant Student Services office.

“It scares me that they might cut these programs without thinking about the people they’ll affect. I know that with our families and our community, we’ll be okay, but lately, anything can happen,” Martínez adds, who is a first-generation student.

CAMP maintains a 98% first-year student completion rate and a 95% retention rate from year one to two, according to program data. Therefore, for Garcia, the discussion about eliminating the program may sound very alarming. 

“It should be off the table,” he said,  since projects like CAMP are in line with MSU’s founding discourse based on agriculture.

“MSU was created to serve the agricultural sector. If there are programs truly connected to the institution’s mission, we’re one of them,” said Garcia. “I have faith that, one way or another, we’re going to make this work. It was a challenge to get here, and we’re also willing to fight for the future.”