Florida Bars Undocumented Students from State Colleges

On June 30, Florida’s State Board of Education voted to bar undocumented students from attending any of its 28 state-funded colleges.

The ban on undocumented student enrollment in colleges extends to adult general educational programs, including English-language courses and GED courses. The policy requires students to present documentation proving citizenship or legal residency before enrolling. It also bars colleges from admitting students based on protected status, in a continuation of the state’s attacks on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).

The policy passed in a 6 to 1 vote by the Board of Education. According to the Florida Phoenix, “None of the board members debated, discussed, or publicly questioned the policy,” even though dozens of members of the public called in to voice their opposition to the measure.

Florida’s State Board of Education is entirely appointed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.

An estimated 8,000 undocumented students graduate from Florida’s high schools annually, and over 49,000 undocumented students are currently enrolled in Florida colleges.

State Rep. Anna Eskamani (D), who spoke in opposition during public comment at the meeting, said that the vote made by the board is “constitutionally concerning” because the Florida legislature “did not pass legislation on this matter.”

Another speaker, a professor at the state university system, said that her Dreamer students, brought into the country as undocumented children, have been “some of the hardest-working students in my classroom.”

Limiting undocumented students from accessing education “is not only going to limit their own futures but it’s also going to limit the future of Florida,” she said.

While DeSantis has defended the change, asserting that undocumented students should not access state benefits and that “this is the next step,” the state college system is actually projected to lose over $15 million in tuition and fees if undocumented students are barred from enrolling.

The vote follows a similar vote by Florida’s Board of Governors, who have begun to move toward barring undocumented students from admission to Florida’s 12 public universities.

If approved, Florida will become the fourth state to bar undocumented students from accessing public higher education. Alabama and South Carolina have already instituted statewide bans preventing undocumented students from enrolling in public colleges and universities. Georgia has partial restrictions on undocumented students’ ability to enroll at certain public universities.

Last year, Florida eliminated a program that allowed immigrant students under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) to pay in-state tuition in Florida.