A policy review argues the Trump administration’s first-year moves to eliminate or shrink TRIO and GEAR UP—federal college-access programs—signal a retreat from long-standing investments in low-income student pathways. Brookings and higher-education analysts said scaling back these programs reduces supports that historically narrowed gap in college enrollment and completion. At the same time, a Migration Policy Institute analysis found roughly 90,000 undocumented students reach the end of high school annually and some 75,000 graduate—numbers now shadowed by state and federal policy changes that limit in-state tuition or heighten immigration enforcement. Advocates warned these shifts compound barriers as students contemplate postsecondary options. State leaders and college access offices should anticipate growing demand for alternative supports, legal guidance, and partnership models to preserve matriculation routes for low-income and immigrant-origin students.