Say that, for example, the U.S. government provides study assistance to people who are American native’s, or decendants therefrom (let’s say up to 1/16th).
Joe Citizen applies for the assistance program, claiming 1/16th native American heredity. How does the government fact check his claim?
I’m not aware of ANY method used by the USA Govt to determine race, other than simply asking the person involved. This question appears on census forms and other places, and I’ve never heard of the person’s response being legally verified.
The federal government generally assumes people are what they say they are. The only exception I’m aware of is the Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood, which requires various forms of proof of heredity and qualifies the holder for certain benefits available through the Bureau of Indian Affairs (and is relied on by some tribes in determining entitlement to tribal benefits). As a matter of practicality, it’s virtually impossible to establish proof of “race” except when the race is a very tightly defined group such as Native Americans (who by definition are limited to those descended from tribes recognized by the federal government).
To late to edit: when there is litigation over this issue, it tends to be at the group level rather than over individual applicants. For example, a number of predominantly white universities have been sued or threatened with legal action under Title IX because their student bodies’ self-reported race data suggests they are discriminating. Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have often faced the same problem. In fact, a number of states have offered Caucasian-preference scholarships at state HBCUs to boost white enrollment.