A Florida state lawmaker has introduced a bill to bar illegal immigrants from admitting to some public colleges and universities.
Republican state Sen. Randy Fine introduced the legislation a day after GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis called a special legislative session to help advance President-elect Trump’s immigration agenda.
“Is it fair to allow an illegal immigrant to take a place that could be taken by a Floridian or an American? I would argue no,” Fine said.
Fine’s bill would prohibit public colleges and universities from admitting students who are in the country illegally with an acceptance rate of less than 85%, including the University of Florida, Florida State University, University of Central Florida and Florida International University.
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After-representation. Randy Fine, R-South Brevard County, closes in on a gambling bill during a special session, Wednesday, May 19, 2021, in Tallahassee, Fla. (AP)
According to the Pew Research Center, Florida is home to approximately 1.2 million illegal immigrants.
Students who immigrated to the US illegally can 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, or DACA, status to pay out-of-state tuition.
During the 2023-2024 school year, about 6,500 immigrant students who were in the U.S. illegally qualified for exemptions from paying out-of-state tuition at the state’s public colleges and universities, according to the nonprofit Florida Policy Institute.
Three states illegally bar students in the U.S. 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.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks at the Republican Party of Iowa’s 2023 Lincoln Dinner at the Iowa Event Center on July 28, 2023 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Sergio Flores/AFP via Getty Images)
DeSantis scheduled a special session to begin the week after Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration to fund efforts to address illegal immigration, including detention and deportation. The governor has said the state must work to uphold Trump’s promises to crack down on illegal immigration and ensure “we have no lingering incentives for people to come into our state illegally.”
In a Truth Social post on Tuesday, Trump thanked DeSantis for calling the special session, adding, “Hopefully other governors will follow!”
But the governor has faced criticism from Republican leaders in the Legislature, who called his call for a special session “premature” and “irresponsible.”
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The bill would prohibit public colleges and universities from admitting students illegally in the country with an acceptance rate of less than 85%. (Getty Images)
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Fine is among Republican lawmakers who have vowed to support Trump and his agenda but criticized the governor’s push for a rushed special session.
“This was not accompanied by a strong bill package for us to consider,” Fine told reporters. “You want to call a special session? Give me the bill you want to vote on.”
Fine, who joined the state Senate in November, is resigning from the Legislature effective March 31 to run for the U.S. House seat that U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla. are expected to be vacated by, who were nominated. Trump will be his national security adviser.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
