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The Florida Legislature has introduced a bill that would ban illegal immigrants from enrolling in some public universities.
Republican Sen. Randy Fine proposed the bill a day after Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis called for a special legislative session to advance President-elect Trump’s immigration policies.
“Is it fair to allow illegal immigrants to take jobs that Floridians and Americans can take? I would say no,” Fine said.
Fine’s bill would prohibit undocumented students from enrolling at public universities with acceptance rates below 85%, including the University of Florida, Florida State University, University of Central Florida and Florida International University.
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Then-Rep. Rep. Randy Fine, R-South Brevard County, puts an end to gambling bills during a special session of Congress Wednesday, May 19, 2021, in Tallahassee, Fla. (Associated Press)
According to the Pew Research Center, Florida is home to an estimated 1.2 million illegal immigrants.
Currently, immigrant students who are in the United States illegally can qualify for tuition at in-state public universities. Fine also recently proposed a bill that would require high school graduates with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status to pay out-of-state tuition.
Approximately 6,500 immigrant students who were in the U.S. illegally will have their out-of-state tuition waived at public universities in the state during the 2023-2024 school year, according to the nonprofit Florida Policy Institute. qualified to receive it.
According to the National Immigration Law Center, three states prohibit U.S. students from enrolling illegally in at least some colleges, while half of the states allow these students to qualify for in-state tuition. .
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks at the Iowa Republican Party’s 2023 Lincoln Dinner held at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines, Iowa, on July 28, 2023. (Sergio Flores/AFP via Getty Images)
DeSantis had scheduled a special session to begin the week after President Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration to fund efforts to fight illegal immigration, including detention and removal. The governor said the state must uphold President Trump’s commitment to combat illegal immigration and work to “make sure there is no lingering incentive for people to enter the country illegally.”
In a post on Truth Social on Tuesday, President Trump thanked DeSantis for calling the special session and said, “I hope other governors will follow suit!”
But the governor has faced criticism from Republican leaders in the Legislature, who called the call for a special session “premature” and “irresponsible.”
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The bill would prohibit public universities with an acceptance rate of less than 85% from admitting students who are in the country illegally. (Getty Images)
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Fine is one of several Republicans who have vowed to support President Trump and his policies, but he has criticized the governor’s push for a special legislative session as being hasty.
“This was not accompanied by a strong legislative package that we should have considered,” Fine told reporters. “You want to call a special session? Submit the bill you want me to vote on.”
Fine, who became a state senator in November, will resign from the Legislature on March 31 so he can run for the House seat expected to be vacated by his nominee, Rep. Michael Walz (R-Florida). It will be. President Trump becomes National Security Advisor.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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