Members of the group, backed by Venezuela's government, say they sought her assistance last month; the mothers and grandmothers stated that they can't contact the children in the U.S.
Unaccompanied minors are at the center of a legal battle against a Trump administration plan to return hundreds of them to their home country despite immigration protections.
Around the country, programs offering in-state tuition rates to immigrants that once had wide bipartisan support increasingly have come under criticism from Republicans.
The Office of Refugee Resettlement, part of Health and Human Services, issued the directive, saying the goal is to ensure that sponsors — usually parents or guardians — are properly vetted.
The Maryland father was wrongfully deported to El Salvador, then brought back to the U.S. months later only to face charges and new deportation efforts.
