TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV/Gray Florida Capital Bureau) – A pair of oversight boards advanced proposals late last month to force students to prove their legal immigration status to attend universities or colleges across the state.
That means undocumented students, like “Dreamers,” will effectively be banned from the University of Florida, Tallahassee State College and the state’s other 28 colleges.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis previously expressed his support for the measure, calling it a “slap in the face” to Florida citizens to allow undocumented students to enroll. On Thursday, a coalition of immigrant rights groups decried the move, saying many colleges and universities actually have declining enrollment.
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“I would have not had the opportunity to pursue higher education. I would have not had the opportunity to contribute to Florida’s economy, to create jobs, or now to serve the community that I love so dearly,” said Luis Santos, a member of the Miami-Dad County Public School Board.
Technically, the Florida Board of Governors, which oversees the universities, needs to hold another vote to make the policy official. However, the State Board of Education, which oversees colleges and other adult education, already had its vote.
“It requires the universities to verify lawful presence before initial enrollment of students beginning in the 27-28 academic year,” said Emily Sikes, the vice chancellor for Academic & Student Affairs, State University System of Florida
For advocates, the new rules amount to a total ban, including for undocumented students seeking higher education.
“They took away in state tuition, my scholarship, they brought ICE on campus and all these things affected me tremendously and people don’t realize that it’s more than just a policy, but it changed my life completely,” said Alexander Vallejos, a student, University of Central Florida.
A community organizer said it’s another loss for students without status.
“I came to this country from Brazil as a teenager and I lived without status for 15 years of my life. I know firsthand what it feels like to work hard in school to dream big and still be told that my dreams were too big and I needed to shrink and I didn’t fully belong,” said Felipe Sousa Lazaballet, the executive director of the Hope Community Center.
When asked what “lawful presence” would mean under the policy, a lawyer for the Board of Governors said that would be determined by the federal government, but that the BoG would provide “some resources that will be able to work with universities based on their guidance.”
During the Academic Affairs Committee meeting, the governors discovered an issue. If the proposed policy applied to all students, then wouldn’t it bar online students from overseas since they’re not lawfully present?
“For clarification for institutions, if a student is completely online, will they need to demonstrate lawful presence in the United States if they’re completely online?” asked Governor Kimberly Dunn.
While a staff member initially said it applied to “all students,” the committee eventually directed staff to bring back language that carved out overseas online students.
“We’ve got to get resolved. I don’t think it would be the intent of this board to preclude somebody who lives overseas from being able to access online programs or I think what we’re talking about here is primarily undergraduate and resident graduate degree programs,” said Chair Alan Levine.
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