“A no-brainer” is how a Florida lawmaker describes his latest effort to put a stop to millions of taxpayer dollars flowing towards tuition subsidies for undocumented immigrants living in the state. 

The measure, Senate Bill 90, would repeal sections of a 2014 state law that a Florida state senator, Randy Fine, says has “heavily subsidized in-state tuition rates at Florida’s 12 state universities and 28 state colleges.”

The proposal appears likely to set the Sunshine State up for a contentious clash over higher education and immigration, as lawmakers debate whether students who reside in Florida, despite being there illegally, are entitled to the same perks enjoyed by citizens. 

“Students from the other 49 states and Puerto Rico pay full price to attend Florida’s top-rated colleges and universities, nearly three times the subsidized Florida resident rates,” Mr. Fine said in a statement, noting that the state meanwhile subsidizes illegal immigrants to the tune of tens of millions of dollars.

“President Trump has made clear it is time to close the border and stop giving illegal immigrants rewards for breaking the law,” Mr. Fine said in a statement. “While blue-collar Floridians are struggling to make ends meet, it is not fair to require them to pay $45 million a year to subsidize sweetheart deals for college degrees to those who should not even be here.” 

The University of Florida’s tuition is $6,381 for in-state and $28,658 for out-of-state students, he notes, citing the U.S. News and World Report.

“This is a no-brainer way to reduce the size of government and free up resources to help Floridians in need,” Mr. Fine said. “We must put Floridians first, and I am proud to do my part to rebalance the scales for our citizens.” 

In 2014, a state law specified that out-of-state fees are to be waived for “students who are undocumented for federal immigration purposes,” and meet a handful of conditions. Mr. Fine specified that his bill would not affect the admission policies for the dozens of public colleges and universities, but would rather “eliminate the subsidized rate that was written into state law in 2014.”

Florida, he noted, is behind only Texas and New Jersey when it comes to the number of illegal immigrants attending colleges and universities.

Mr. Fine will only be in the state legislature until the end of March as he runs for Congress to fill the seat vacated by Congressman Mike Waltz, who will serve as President-elect Trump’s national security advisor. He has promised to make every day count as the clock ticks down towards his final day in his state position. 

Yet his effort is sure to face opposition from Democrats in the state.
“For my four years in the House, we had many students that come up and share their stories about how beneficial this has been to them and to their families,” a Democratic state senator and a former representative, Kristen Arrington, said, per Spectrum News. “So definitely not in support of it, and I, of course, we’ll be fighting it.”