TALLAHASSEE 鈥� A Florida state lawmaker has filed a bill that would ban some public colleges and universities from admitting immigrants who are in the country without legal permission.
The proposal comes the day after Gov. Ron DeSantis called for a to help implement President-elect Donald Trump鈥檚 immigration policies.
The proposal was filed Tuesday by Republican state Sen. Randy Fine, who is currently running for a seat in Congress to replace Rep. , Trump鈥檚 pick for national security advisor.
鈥淚s it fair to allow an illegal immigrant to take a spot that could be taken by a Floridian or an American? I would argue no,鈥� Fine said.
, who was among the first undocumented students admitted to Miami Dade College in 2003 and gained national attention, said she and other immigrant advocates would lobby the Legislature to reject such legislation, recalling their victory two years ago when they convinced legislators to not repeal the in-state tuition law for Dreamers.
"Making it harder for first-generation college students to afford and graduate from college is self-defeating for the state at a time when Florida colleges are already suffering from a in enrollment." she said in a statement. "To cut off their opportunities to pursue and afford higher education is not only harmful to their future success, but shortsighted and harmful to Florida鈥檚 overall future and potential economic growth."
Pacheco currently leads , the nation's largest college aid program for undocumented youth, as the non-profit's CEO and President.
Previous bills to kill the in-state tuition bill for Dreamers have failed to pass.
Representatives for Florida鈥檚 public college and university systems did not immediately respond to questions on how many students could be affected by Fine鈥檚 bill, which would ban public schools of higher education with an acceptance rate of less than 85% from admitting students in the country without legal authorization.
Fine鈥檚 proposal would mark a significant policy shift in the state, which is home to an estimated 1.2 million immigrants living in the U.S. without permission, according to the Pew Research Center. Currently, Florida students who are without such permission can qualify for in-state tuition at public colleges and universities. Fine has also filed a bill that would repeal that provision.
DeSantis, who scheduled the special session to begin the week after Trump's Jan. 20 inauguration, has said the state must take action to support the incoming president's promised and ensure that 鈥渨e don鈥檛 have any lingering incentives for people to come into our state illegally.鈥�
The governor has faced pushback from the legislature's Republican leaders, who labeled his call for a special session 鈥減remature鈥� and 鈥渋rresponsible." Trump thanked DeSantis in a social media post on Tuesday, saying 鈥渉opefully other Governors will follow!鈥�
Fine is among the Republican lawmakers who have pledged support for Trump and his agenda but have criticized the governor's push for a special session as rushed.
鈥淭his was not accompanied with a robust bill package for us to consider,鈥� Fine told reporters. 鈥淵ou want to call a special session? Give me the bills you want me to vote for."
SA国际传谋 News Staff contributed to this story.
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Kate Payne is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. She previously was a reporter for SA国际传谋.
