Florida Professor sues over law aimed at stopping Chinese Communist influence in universities
The lawsuit alleges that the law ‘violates federal law by presumptively prohibiting the academic employment in Florida public universities and colleges of international students domiciled in seven foreign countries.’
The Florida law in question stops state institutions of higher education from having certain ties with seven foreign countries, including China, North Korea, and Iran.
Two Florida International University graduate students and a University of Florida professor filed a lawsuit against Florida government and university officials, alleging that Florida legislation SB 846 “violates federal law by presumptively prohibiting the academic employment in Florida public universities and colleges of international students domiciled in seven foreign countries.”
The lawsuit lists the seven countries as “China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Syria, and the Venezuelan regime under Nicolás Maduro,” and alleges that SB 846 also “adds to a trend of unfounded and discredited fearmongering against people from China.”
[RELATED: China is ‘biggest threat to international students and scholars’ in US, report finds]
SB 846 was signed into law in May 2023 and prohibits “state universities and state colleges from accepting grants from or participating in partnerships or agreements with a college or university based in a foreign country of concern or with a foreign principal unless specified conditions are met.”
When signing the legislation, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis praised the bill in a press release as a way “to stop [Chinese Communist Party] influence in our education system from grade school to grad school.”
The complaint states that each of the two student plaintiffs, Zhipeng Yin and Zhen Guo, “comes from and is a citizen of China, is neither a United States citizen nor [a legal
permanent resident] but has permission to be in the United States as the holder of a valid F-1 student visa that the federal government has issued through its immigration system.” It adds that both students face a “delay in, and potential jeopardy of, [their graduate teaching assistantship] contracts and tuition waivers, due solely to SB 846.”
The professor plaintiff, Zhengfei Guan, “is facing a new inability to recruit and hire the best graduate assistants and postdoctoral fellows, which is presently injuring his academic career,” the complaint asserts.
[RELATED: Florida International University ends partnership with Chinese institutions]
The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida (ACLU), the Chinese American Legal Defense Alliance, and Perkins Coie LLP are representing the plaintiffs, according to the complaint. ACLU Florida issued a press release regarding the lawsuit and stated: “These racist policies have greatly exacerbated violence and discrimination against Asian communities living in the United States,” referencing both SB 846 and other past and current legislation.
Campus Reform has contacted Florida International University, the University of Florida, the Florida Department of Education, Perkins Coie LLP, and ACLU Florida for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
