Students without lawful immigration status in Florida could soon be barred from admission to all 28 state colleges.
The Florida Department of Education proposed a new rule weeks ago that would require all public colleges to admit only students who are U.S. citizens or those lawfully present in the country. It could take effect as early as May.
The department is considering public comments about the rule through May 7.
If approved, the new rule would require colleges to adopt policies requiring applicants to provide what the rule describes as “clear and convincing documentation” proving citizenship or lawful immigration status before being granted admission.
Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Republican-led Legislature have made cracking down on immigration a priority in Florida.
“With President Trump taking office, Florida has a unique opportunity to help facilitate the end to America’s immigration crisis,” DeSantis said earlier this year.
With the governor’s approval, Florida had previously eliminated in-state tuition for immigrant students who are in the U.S. illegally. The state Board of Governors also paused until 2027 the H-1B visa program that allows state universities to hire college-educated foreign workers.
The latest push is consistent with Republican efforts to limit public spending only for programs and institutions for citizens or immigrants with lawful status. State and local government funding for higher education totaled $7.7 billion in fiscal year 2025, plus $1.6 billion in tuition, according to a report from the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association.
Earlier this week, a group of immigrant advocacy organizations met ahead of a May 14 meeting, in which the State Board of Education is expected to discuss the proposed rule at Miami Dade College.
Yareliz Mendez-Zamora, the policy coordinator for American Friend Service Committee, a social justice and humanitarian nonprofit, said this proposed rule is a continuation of what she described as the governor’s agenda against immigrants, and said he is now targeting children and young adults.
“ This would affect students that the state of Florida has already invested in,” Mendez-Zamora said. “We're asking the Florida Department of Education to do the right thing and not pass these rules.”
Valeria Maldonado, a student at Miami Dade College who was born in El Salvador and brought to the U.S. as a child, said education should not be denied to students, no matter their immigration status.
“ It feels like a part of a growing pattern, step by step, of including, excluding, silencing and stripping away rights that should be protected for everybody,” Maldonado said.
She said there are students who have spent their entire lives in Florida classrooms and earned their place through effort and determination. Denying education does not make a community safer or stronger and creates more fear and cuts futures short before they begin, Maldonado said.
“Today it may be immigrants or international students being targeted, but tomorrow it could be anyone who speaks up, anyone who disagrees, anyone who simply doesn't fit,” she said.
Samuel Santiago, a 29-year-old former Valencia College student who came from Venezuela as a political refugee, said the proposed rule was shameful.
In 2015, Santiago earned an associate degree from Valencia College at 18 before studying politics at Princeton University. He said he knew students at Valencia who were not U.S. citizens but wanted to get an education.
“At the end of the day, our youth is seeking to get an education so that they can contribute here, grow our economy and make our communities better,” Santiago said.
He said the state functions the best when opportunities are created for all Floridians, and students who do not have legal documentation still have the right to access quality education.
“To be targeting undocumented immigrants who are part of our community, a part of our society, is very cheap and shameful,” he said.
If the rule is approved, Santiago said, some students will not be able to finish school, which will cause a ripple effect in the economy as Florida won’t have the necessary workforce to sustain key industries like hospitality, construction and healthcare. Floridians will have to pay the price of the economic loss to the state, he said.
The Florida Policy Institute reported that Florida’s colleges stand to lose up to $15 million by denying access to affected students. It could worsen already decreased higher education enrollment rates, which “will cost Florida revenue, skilled labor, and the unique contributions of these young Floridians,” the report said.
Santiago said supporters of the measure should reconsider. In today’s political context, he said this rule is a continuation of putting politics before people. It will have a ripple effect on Florida’s diverse community, and there is a moral imperative to oppose it, he said.
“In my view, it only impacts a few of our students, some of our brightest minds in our communities,” Santiago said.
The Florida Department of Education declined to comment on the proposal.
“Florida continues to lead the nation in combating illegal immigration. Our colleges will soon deny admission to those who cannot prove they are here legally,” Alex Lanfranconi, a spokesman for the governor, wrote on social media.
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This story was produced by Fresh Take Florida, a news service of the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications. The reporter can be reached at oriana.torre@ufl.edu and as.rodriguez@ufl.edu. You can donate to support our students here.