The Florida Department of Education has recently revealed plans to enact new regulations that would bar students without legal immigration status from enrolling in the Sunshine State’s public college system. The decision has enraged some Florida residents, who argue that the legislation is largely unnecessary.
Reports indicate that, under this new measure, Florida’s 28 state colleges would require students to prove that they are either U.S. citizens or have lawful presence before being admitted. The proposal still needs to pass a public hearing before it is enacted, and it would also grant institutions greater authority to deny admission on other grounds, including “an applicant’s prior misconduct.”
However, the controversial plan would not affect the state’s 12 public universities, as they are governed by the Florida Board of Governors rather than the Department of Education.
Florida Reacts to Department of Education’s Proposed Ban on Undocumented College Students
Floridians did not react well to the proposal, however, with many slamming it as an ineffective measure on Reddit’s r/Florida. One user said, “This imaginary undocumented student is also sitting on a giant pile of money to blow on a university by paying full out-of-state tuition prices with zero financial aid.” Another user also criticized the measure, calling it a “solution to a nonexistent problem. Let’s ban elephants from getting their CPA license while we are at this.”
One commenter argued that “Florida has the third most undocumented students in higher education in the country. 50,000 students isn’t exactly nothing,” citing data showing that Florida accounts for 9% of all undocumented students nationwide.
Folks were not impressed by these numbers, though. One resident claimed, “I knew a few when I was in college years ago. I will have to say I don’t really give a [expletive] if undocumented people attend college, though.” “I’d really prefer they do,” someone else responded. A third person also could not understand why this measure had to be enacted: “If this is a thing… literally, why would I care? Who is losing anything in this scenario? A lot of these laws just do not make any sense once you remove racism.”
It remains to be seen whether the ban will pass, but if it does, it may affect thousands of students across the state.
