Florida’s State Board of Education voted 6-1 to move forward with a policy barring illegal immigrants from being admitted to the state’s public colleges. This decision marks the latest effort by state leaders to tighten immigration rules in higher education.
Background
The board’s vote makes the Sunshine State’s 28 state colleges inaccessible to illegal immigrants, as well as the state’s adult education programs. The only vote against the measure was from member Daniel Foganholi, a first-generation American born to immigrants from Brazil.
According to the American Immigration Council, in 2023, the state was home to approximately 50,000 illegal immigrant students. Last year, Florida ended a program that let illegal immigrant students under DACA pay in-state tuition.
Some individuals expressed disapproval of the policy, including Alex Liberman, who stated that education should not be used as a policing system for immigrants. Virginia Bolton, a student at Florida International University, also voiced her disapproval, calling the policy cruel and hypocritical.
Florida state Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith claimed the proposed policy is against Florida law and unconstitutional, as it violates the state’s open-door admission policy and the requirement to provide education for all children within the state’s borders.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis praised the vote, stating that it doesn’t make sense for illegal immigrants to attend state universities when Florida residents could fill those spots instead.
Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
