People Are Getting Arrested Over Student-Loan Debt

For anyone who’s overlooked a student-loan bill in favor of paying rent, there might be more to worry about than an extra credit hit courtesy of Sallie Mae. Fox 26 in Houston reported that a Texas man was arrested by federal marshals over a 29-year-old student debt. Paul Aker told the news channel that he was arrested in his home last week by seven federal marshals in combat gear who were carrying automatic weapons. Aker was shackled and taken to a federal court downtown. “I just couldn’t believe that I was standing before the court, with no rights read to me, no legal representation, and I’d been told that I owed $1,500. I just couldn’t believe it,” he said. Aker owed the debt from a federal student loan he took out in 1987. He stated that he had never received any kind of notice about it. “Nothing in almost 30 years,” he said. The Southern District of Texas' U.S. Marshal office did not immediately return a request for comment. More than 43 million Americans have some amount of student-loan debt, and recent graduates are the worst off, with an average of $35,000 in debt. With student loans being non-dischargeable in bankruptcy filings, many Americans are on the hook for outrageous sums that may not match their ability to pay. The situation is dire enough that many of the presidential candidates, on both sides of the aisle, are making student-loan reform an issue in their campaigns. It may be cold comfort for many people who owe federal loans today. Fox 26 also reports that there are over 1,000 warrants yet to be served for outstanding student debtors in the Houston area.