The Trump administration has told Congress it will not defend a decades-old federal program that reserves about $350 million a year for colleges where at least one-quarter of undergraduates are Hispanic, arguing that the grants violate the Constitution’s equal-protection guarantees. The Justice Department’s decision comes in response to a lawsuit filed by the state of Tennessee and Students for Fair Admissions, which contend the eligibility formula is an unlawful racial quota. More than 500 institutions are designated Hispanic-Serving Institutions, and officials in Nevada say five of the state’s colleges could immediately lose access to the money. The Education Department is reviewing three separate HSI grant streams to determine “the legal path forward,” raising the prospect that the program could be phased out. Advocates warn the move could ripple across higher education by undermining other race-linked federal initiatives. The step is part of a broader effort by President Donald Trump to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion policies on campus. Days earlier, the Supreme Court cleared the administration to proceed with terminating more than $780 million in other diversity-related research grants, a decision the Justice Department has cited as precedent in a separate fight over nearly $3 billion in frozen funding for Harvard University. Federal officials are simultaneously tightening scrutiny of admissions practices. A memo reported by the Wall Street Journal cautions schools that using essays, geography or other “unlawful proxies” for race could invite legal action, while a separate directive extends federal data-collection requirements to cover applicant and admitted-student pools. Together, the moves signal an escalating campaign to dismantle race-based preferences and related funding across U.S. higher education.