Published Jun 1, 2026, 2:07 PM EDT
New protocols target a particular program for meeting certain quotas for specifically identified racial groups.
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Published Jun 1, 2026, 2:07 PM EDT
The Coast Guard has eliminated race-based standards in its service, following a broader Trump administration trend being enforced throughout the military to adhere more to "merit" than diversity, equity or inclusion (DEI). On May 29, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that the service eliminated race-based preferences for college students who wish to enlist and commission as Coast Guard officers. It focused on one particular program called the College Student Pre-Commissioning Initiative (CSPI), which includes a preference for students from educational institutions that meet certain quotas for specifically identified racial groups in their student bodies. Officials have correlated the move directly to what DHS called requirements "in stark contrast to the Trump Administration’s focus on fairness, merit, and eliminating DEI policies throughout the federal government." Such previous standards also violated the equal protection requirements of the U.S. Constitution, DHS added. The termination of the requirements occurred on May 28.
