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A Florida state lawmaker has introduced a bill to ban it illegal migrants to be admitted to some public colleges and universities.
Republican state Sen. Randy Fine proposed the legislation a day after Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis called for a special legislative session to help push President-elect Trump’s immigration agenda.
“Is it fair to allow an illegal immigrant to fill a position that could be filled by a Floridian or an American? I would say no,” Fine said.
Fine’s bill would bar public colleges and universities with an acceptance rate of less than 85 percent from admitting students who are in the country illegally, which would include the University of Florida, the State University of Florida, University of Central Florida and Florida International University.
FLORIDA LEGISLATURE INTRODUCES BILL TO REQUIRE DACA STUDENTS TO PAY OUT-OF-STATE TUITION
Then-Rep. Randy Fine, R-South Brevard County, closes a gambling bill during a special session, Wednesday, May 19, 2021, in Tallahassee, Florida. (AP)
There are an estimated 1.2 million illegal immigrants living in Floridaaccording to the Pew Research Center.
Currently, students who are in the US illegally are eligible 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, or DACA, status to pay out-of-state tuition.
During the 2023-2024 school year, about 6,500 immigrant students who were in the United States illegally qualified for an out-of-state tuition waiver at the state’s public colleges and universities, according to the Florida Policy Institute, non-profit.
Three states prohibit US students from enrolling illegally in at least some colleges, while half of states allow such students to qualify for in-state tuition, according to the National Immigration Law Center.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at the Iowa Republican Party’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 address illegal immigration and ensure that “we have no persistent incentive for people to enter our state illegally.”
Trump, in a Truth Social post on Tuesday, thanked DeSantis for calling a special session, saying “we hope other governors will follow suit!”
But the governor has faced criticism from the Republican leaders of the legislaturewho called his call for a special session “premature” and “irresponsible.”
The bill would prohibit public colleges and universities with an acceptance rate of less than 85 percent from admitting students who are in the country illegally. (Getty Images)
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Fine is among Republican lawmakers who have vowed to support Trump and his agenda, but who have criticized the governor’s push for such a hasty special session.
“This was not accompanied by a strong package of bills for us to consider,” Fine told reporters. “You want to call a special session? Give me the bills you want me to vote on.”
Fine, who joined the state Senate in November, is stepping down from the Legislature, effective March 31, so he can run for the U.S. House seat expected to be vacated by Rep. North -U.S. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., who was appointed. by Trump to be his national security adviser.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
