A Florida state lawmaker has introduced a bill to ban this illegal migrants of admission to some public colleges and universities.
Republican Senator Randy Fine proposed the legislation after Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis called for a special legislative session to help advance President-elect Trump’s immigration agenda.
“Is it fair to allow an illegal immigrant to take a spot that could be taken by a Floridian or an American? I would say not,” Fine said.
Fine’s bill would ban public colleges and universities with an acceptance rate of less than 85% from admitting students who are in the country illegally, including the University of Florida, Florida State University, the University of Central Florida and Florida International University.
FLORIDA LAWMAKER INTRODUCES BILL TO REQUIRE DACA STUDENTS TO PAY FOR OUT OF STATE EDUCATION
Then-Rep. Randy Fine, R-South Brevard County, closes a gambling account during a special session, Wednesday, May 19, 2021, in Tallahassee, Florida. (AP)
There are an estimated 1.2 million illegal migrants living in Floridaaccording to the Pew Research Center.
Immigrant students who are in the U.S. illegally may currently qualify for in-state tuition at public colleges and universities. Fine also recently proposed a bill that would require high school graduates with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status to pay out-of-state tuition.
During the 2023-2024 school year, approximately 6,500 immigrant students who were in the U.S. illegally qualified for an exemption from paying out-of-state tuition at the state’s public colleges and universities, according to the nonprofit Florida Policy Institute.
Three states prohibit students in the U.S. illegally from enrolling in at least some colleges, while half of the states allow these students to qualify for in-state tuition, according to the National Immigration Law Center.
Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida speaks at the Republican Party of Iowa’s 2023 Lincoln Dinner at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines, Iowa, on July 28, 2023. (SERGIO FLORES/AFP via Getty Images)
DeSantis scheduled the special session to begin the week after Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration to fund efforts to address illegal immigration, including detention and relocation. The governor has said the state must work to support Trump’s promises to crack down on illegal immigration and ensure that “we don’t have continued incentives for people to come into our state illegally.”
Trump, in a Truth Social post on Tuesday, thanked DeSantis for calling a special session and said “hopefully other governors will follow!”
But the governor has faced criticism from the government Republican leaders of the legislaturewho described his call for a special session as “premature” and “irresponsible.”
The bill would prohibit public colleges and universities with an acceptance rate of less than 85% from admitting students who are in the country illegally. (Getty Images)
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Fine is among Republican lawmakers who have pledged to support Trump and his agenda but have criticized the governor’s push for a special session as rushed.
“This was not accompanied by a robust bill that we could consider,” Fine told reporters. “Do you want to call a special session? Give me the bills you want me to vote for.”
Fine, who joined the Senate in November, will resign from the Legislature effective March 31 so he can run for the U.S. House seat expected to be vacated by U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., who was nominated by Trump to be his national security adviser.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
