Jeff Bezos Donates $33M To Scholarship Fund For Dreamers

Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon and owner of The Washington Post, has announced a $33 million donation to a scholarship program for "Dreamers," young immigrants brought to the country illegally when they were children.

Bezos and his wife MacKenzie Bezos' donation to TheDream.US is the largest in the organization's history, according to a press release. The organization said the grant would give 1,000 DACA recipients the opportunity to go to college. Students receive $33,000 in aid over four years as part of the scholarship and there are currently 2,850 students enrolled in college under the program.

“My dad came to the U.S. when he was 16 as part of Operation Pedro Pan,” Bezos said in the press release. “He landed in this country alone and unable to speak English. With a lot of grit and determination – and the help of some remarkable organizations in Delaware – my dad became an outstanding citizen, and he continues to give back to the country that he feels blessed him in so many ways. MacKenzie and I are honored to be able to help today’s Dreamers by funding these scholarships.”

The donation comes as members of Congress face a deadline of March 5 to protect the young immigrants from losing temporary legal protections. On Thursday, President Donald Trump hosted a meeting with lawmakers including Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) to discuss granting permanent protections to DACA recipients. At the meeting, Trump reportedly used vulgar language to describe African countries and Haiti.

Trump has said he is in favor of granting permanent protections to DACA recipients but wants a border wall and broader changes to the immigration system as part of a deal.

Other donors to TheDream.US include the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and Bloomberg Philanthropies.

Photo by Michael Kovac/Getty Images for J/P HRO Gala/Getty Images Entertainment