Governor Ron DeSantis signed Florida’s controversial immigration reform bills into law after they passed both chambers of the Florida Legislature.
Gov. DeSantis signed the bill just after 4 p.m. on Thursday afternoon.
The Florida Senate passed the three immigration reform bills Thursday morning and sent the bills to the House. Capitol reporter Forrest Saunders said the House passed the bills after 3 p.m.
In response, the Florida Democratic Party released the following statement:
Donald Trump and Florida Republicans have completely betrayed our communities, said FDP Chair Nikki Fried. Today, the Florida Legislature passed the most extreme anti-immigration legislation in the country, which creates a new state crime that will make it easier to target immigrants and kicks Dreamers out of college. Families will be separated, students will be saddled with debt and fear will fracture our communities.
Following weeks of internal infighting and grandstanding, Republicans rushed to create legislation that will have serious and immediate consequences for Floridians and a nearly $300 million dollar price tag. These bills wont solve anything they will only hurt people and ruin lives. It’s time for Congress to pass real immigration reforms that protect our economy, keep our communities safe and create legal pathways to citizenship for immigrants who have lived and worked here for decades.
One of the most contentious aspects of the legislation is the repeal of in-state tuition for undocumented students, which sparked heated opposition. Critics urged the GOP supermajority to include a “glide path” to protect students who are already enrolled. However, those changes failed to materialize in the Senate.
As the current school year draws to a close this summer, in-state tuition for Floridas undocumented college students will likely disappear, despite passionate pleas from DACA recipients who have called on lawmakers to preserve the bipartisan program.
According to state officials, approximately 6,500 students benefit from the tuition waivers, with most likely being undocumented. The state estimates it is losing out on more than $40 million in potential revenue, while supporters of the bill argue that waivers incentivize illegal immigration.
In addition to repealing in-state tuition for undocumented students, the legislation includes around 16 provisions aimed at increasing immigration enforcement. Among them are making illegal immigration a state crime, increasing funding for enforcement agencies, and heightening penalties for undocumented individuals involved in criminal activities.
It also proposes creating a state immigration board to oversee everything, replacing the idea of an immigration czara role filled by either Floridas agriculture commissioner or a DeSantis appointee.