President Donald Trump just signed an executive order to start dismantling the U.S. Department of Education. While Congress would ultimately need to vote to shut it down completely, the administration is already gutting it from the inside. And for Latino students and families—who already face systemic hurdles in the education system—this could be devastating.

Let’s break down what’s happening, why it matters, and what’s at stake.

The Department of Education is losing nearly half its workforce

On March 21, Trump signed an executive action directing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to “take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education,” according to NPR.

That move followed a prior announcement that the agency would slash its staff by nearly 50% through layoffs and voluntary buyouts. Among the hardest hit? The Office for Civil Rights, which investigates discrimination complaints in schools—including racism, ableism, antisemitism, and Islamophobia. CNN reported that seven of its 12 regional offices are closing, and employees say they won’t be able to keep up with incoming cases.

This isn’t just bureaucratic reshuffling. It affects how quickly—or if at all—schools are held accountable for civil rights violations.

Latino students rely on programs tied to the Department of Education

For Latino students, the Department of Education isn’t some distant bureaucracy. It’s the agency that helps fund their schools, keep their programs afloat, and protect their rights.

According to CNN and NPR, the Department allocates over $18 billion annually in Title I grants for low-income schools—money that supports about 26 million students. In Los Angeles, where Latino students make up nearly 75% of LAUSD, that funding is crucial.

It also oversees the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which supports 7.4 million students with disabilities and ensures they have access to a free and appropriate public education. Many Latino students fall into that category. Shifting these responsibilities to other departments—like Health and Human Services, as proposed in the right-wing Project 2025 plan—raises serious questions about the loss of oversight and specialized knowledge.

“What we do know is we’re going to see a radical change in the way we provide or don’t provide services to disabled students,” said Mia Ives-Rublee, senior director for the Disability Justice Initiative at the Center for American Progress, to CNN.

Without data, schools won’t get the money they need

Sure, Trump’s executive order says protected “formula funding” like Title I and REAP (Rural Education Achievement Program) will stay in place. But here’s the catch: nearly all the statisticians and data experts who help determine which schools qualify for that money are losing their jobs.

According to NPR, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is laying off all but three of its more than 100 employees. That means the data used to send money to rural and low-income schools—including the ones that serve Latino communities—isn’t being collected or analyzed.

“It’s not just that loss of information. It’s what will happen to a school district’s budget in the absence of funds that can’t be allocated,” said Matthew Gardner Kelly, an education finance expert at the University of Washington, to NPR.

The attack on DEI programs hits Latino students especially hard

Alongside the dismantling of the Department of Education is a crackdown on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Trump’s order bans programs or activities receiving federal funds from “advancing diversity, equity and inclusion or gender ideology,” according to CNN.

That may sound abstract, but it’s not. Latino students across California and the U.S. have long benefited from DEI programs that provide mentorship, scholarships, culturally relevant curricula, and mental health support.

Reporting from Caló News explained that these programs helped first-generation students stay enrolled and thrive in schools where they often felt out of place. Many of these initiatives were born out of decades of struggle—from the 1968 Bilingual Education Act to landmark desegregation cases like Mendez v. Westminster.

Wiping out DEI means erasing the hard-won gains of generations of Latino students.

Hispanic-serving institutions are in limbo—and that’s a problem

More than 900 colleges across the U.S. are classified as Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs), including many Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). These schools enroll millions of Latino students and rely heavily on Department of Education grants to support programs like tutoring, mentorship, and teacher training.

After Trump’s inauguration, the administration immediately rescinded Biden-era executive orders aimed at strengthening HSIs and tribal colleges. Then, federal webpages with information about HSIs quietly disappeared, according to Inside Higher Ed.

“Trump’s move to axe Biden’s initiative to support HSIs… was a ‘big deal,’” Antonio Flores, president of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, told Inside Higher Ed. “Symbolically, it definitely does mean a great deal.”

With the department’s future uncertain, so is the future of these institutions and the communities they serve.

Student loans and financial aid could be thrown into chaos

Right now, the Department of Education manages a $1.8 trillion debt from the student loan portfolio. According to CNN, Trump has floated the idea of transferring this responsibility to the Treasury Department or the Small Business Administration—but neither agency wants it.

And with so many Latino students relying on Pell Grants and federal loans to afford college, the instability could have wide-reaching effects.

It’s not clear how functions like federal aid would continue if the department is dismantled, reported Inside Higher Ed. Education. Secretary Linda McMahon is still legally required to carry out certain functions, including administering aid to high-poverty schools. But with departments shutting down and responsibilities shifting, there’s no clear plan in place.

Latino educators are rising—but will they be supported?

In California, there’s been a slow but steady increase in Latino teacher candidates. According to EdSource, nearly 40% of new teacher candidates in the state are Hispanic. That’s crucial in a school system where over half the K-12 student population identifies as Latino.

However, the programs helping to diversify the teacher pipeline—especially on CSU and UC campuses—often depend on federal funding.

As more Latina and Latino educators step into leadership roles, they risk doing so without the institutional support DEI initiatives once provided. And if those programs disappear, it becomes harder to recruit, retain, and empower Latino educators who want to give back to their communities.

We’ve seen this playbook before—and we know how to fight it

This isn’t the first time conservatives have tried to shut down the Department of Education. Ronald Reagan made it a campaign promise in the 1980s. So did Bob Dole in 1996. Trump is just the latest president to try to finish the job.

And while many experts believe a full shutdown is unlikely without Congress, what’s happening now—layoffs, defunding, loss of accountability—could still do serious damage.

That’s why community organizations, universities, and even student clubs are stepping in. As CalMatters reported, some programs are surviving only through grassroots efforts, student leadership, or private funding. Others are finding creative ways to keep DEI values alive—just without the name.

Because, at the end of the day, this isn’t about semantics. It’s about the future of Latino students—who they are, how they learn, and whether they feel like they belong.

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