Bill Cracking Down On Immigration Finally Introduced In Fla., House; Does Not Include Repeal Of In-State Tuition For Dreamers

By Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix

April 24, 2023

A bill cracking down on undocumented immigration in Florida has finally been filed in the House of Representatives – and like its Senate version, it does not include a repeal of in-state tuition rates for undocumented students.

The measure (HB 1617) will go before the House Commerce Committee Monday afternoon. It comes with just 10 regular days left in the 2023 legislative session, despite the fact that Gov. Ron DeSantis called for “an extensive legislative proposal” to combat undocumented immigration in Florida back in February.

In the press release issued by his office back on February 23, the governor laid out an extensive number of proposals that he said the legislation would include to deal with what he has called President Joe Biden’s “border crisis.”

All of those proposals were in the bill (SB 1718) initially filed in the Senate by Central Florida Republican Blaise Ingoglia, with the exception of the repeal of in-instate tuition for undocumented immigrant students. Ingoglia has said since then that the proposal might be added to an education bill, but that has not happened yet.

Prominent Florida Republicans such as former state party chair Al Cardenas and U.S Sen. Rick Scott have criticized the proposal to repeal in-state tuition rates for undocumented student immigrants. Scott told the Phoenix on the same day that DeSantis announced his immigration package that “it’s a bill that I was proud to sign. I believe in it. I believe that these individuals ought to have the opportunity to live in this country. It’s a bill that I would sign again today.”

The difference in paying in-state tuition as opposed to out-of-state to attend a Florida public community college or university is substantial.

While the House immigration bill gets its first hearing Monday, the Senate version will get its second and last committee stop in that chamber on Tuesday.

The Florida Phoenix, a nonprofit news site that’s free of advertising and free to readers, covers state government and politics through a mix of in-depth stories, briefs, and social media updates on the latest events, editorial cartoons, and progressive commentary. The Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit supported by grants and a coalition of donors and readers.