A new rule proposed by the Florida Department of Education would effectively ban illegal immigrants from gaining admission to the state’s 28 public colleges.
Under the potential guidelines, every board of trustees within the Florida College System would be tasked with ensuring that all admitted students are either U.S. citizens or individuals “lawfully present” in the country. To secure a spot, applicants would need to provide “clear and convincing documentation” of their legal status. The proposal specifies that this evidence must be “credible, precise, and compelling.”
The proposed changes reach beyond citizenship status. Another provision would grant colleges the discretion to “deny admission or enrollment to an applicant because of misconduct if determined to be in the best interest” of the institution.
While the rule would apply to the state’s 28 colleges, it does not currently extend to Florida’s 12 state universities. A formal hearing on the matter is scheduled for May 14 at Miami Dade College. The Department of Education did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the timeline or implementation of these requirements.
READ: Strait Reopens: Oil Craters As U.S.-Iran Peace Talks Gain Steam
This administrative move follows several legislative attempts by Republican lawmakers to curb non-citizen enrollment. Representative Jennifer Kincart-Johnson (R-Lakeland) previously sponsored a bill that included a 5 percent cap on non-resident undergraduate admissions, though that specific limit was removed by the Senate before the bill reached Governor Ron DeSantis.
Similarly, Senator Erin Grall (R-Vero Beach) filed a bill to prohibit any higher education institution from admitting non-citizens without legal presence, but the measure failed to receive a committee hearing this year.
Representative Berny Jacques (R-Seminole) also proposed a bill that would have limited the percentage of foreign citizens and non-permanent residents allowed to enroll, though that legislation never reached the House floor.
Florida has already moved to tighten regulations surrounding immigrant students and campus conduct. The state previously repealed in-state tuition rates for roughly 6,500 students who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children.
Additionally, a law signed last month allows the state to designate certain groups as “domestic terrorists” and mandates the expulsion of students who “promote” or provide “material support” for such organizations if their actions disrupt the learning environment or are interpreted as a threat of violence.
Please make a small donation to the Tampa Free Press to help sustain independent journalism. Your contribution enables us to continue delivering high-quality, local, and national news coverage.
Sign up: Subscribe to our free newsletter for a curated selection of top stories delivered straight to your inbox
