By Paul Waldmiller
Did you know the Florida Department of Education has proposed a rule that would prevent illegal immigrants from admission to the Florida’s 28 colleges within the Florida College System. Under this proposal, institutions would be required to ensure all admitted students are U.S. citizens, or lawfully present, necessitating that applicants provide “clear and convincing, credible, precise and compelling” documentation of their residence status.
While the rule applies specifically to the 28 state colleges, it does not extend to the Florida’s 12 public universities. The proposal also grants colleges the discretion to deny admission based on an applicant’s past misconduct if deemed in the best interest of the institution. A public hearing on the proposed rule is scheduled for May 14 at Miami Dade College.
This new regulatory move follows previous legislative efforts, including laws that repealed in-state tuition rates for approximately 6,500 illegal alien students (referred to at times as “Dreamers”) and bills that sought to limit non-resident enrollment caps although similar bills like SB 1053 and HB 1279 have been introduced in the legislature to broaden additional restrictions to universities.