Florida lawmakers considering legislation banning in-state tuition for illegal alien students
‘While blue-collar Floridians are struggling to make ends meet, it is not fair to require them to pay $45 million a year to subsidize sweetheart deals for college degrees to those who should not even be here,’ said the senate sponsor.
DeSantis said that the legislation ‘ensures that illegal aliens who enter Florida are held accountable.’
Florida lawmakers are considering legislation that would end in-state tuition for illegal alien students.
The legislature previously passed the “Tackling and Reforming Unlawful Migration Policy” (TRUMP) Act, which would combat illegal immigration, forbidding illegal alien students from receiving an “out-of-state fee waiver at a public postsecondary institution,” among other measures.
Florida State Sen. Randy Fine, who sponsored the TRUMP Act in the Senate, highlighted the massive amount of taxpayer dollars spent on in-state tuition for illegal aliens.
“While blue-collar Floridians are struggling to make ends meet, it is not fair to require them to pay $45 million a year to subsidize sweetheart deals for college degrees to those who should not even be here,” Fine wrote on X.
DeSantis, however, disagreed with some measure from the original version of the bill, stating his intent to veto it, and claiming it would “actually weaken state immigration enforcement.”
His opposition has prompted the calling of a special session to work out differences between the legislature and the governor, Central Florida Public Media report.
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The special session considered new legislation that would address some of the governor’s concerns. Ahead of the special session, DeSantis said: “The proposed legislation requires the full participation of state and local law enforcement with the Federal government in its enforcement of immigration law, prevents the ‘catch and release’ of illegal aliens, and ensures that illegal aliens who enter Florida are held accountable. It also provides significant resources to bolster these efforts.”
The new legislation, despite other changes, maintains the same ban on illegal alien students as the original TRUMP Act.
Campus Reform has contacted Gov. DeSantis’s office for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
