Florida law that forces resident students of undocumented parents to pay full college tuition challenged

Fullwood’s bill adds that a “dependent child who is a United States citizen, a lawful permanent resident, or a qualified legal alien whose parent is not a United States citizen, a lawful permanent resident, or a qualified legal alien and who attends a Florida high school for 4 consecutive years, enrolls in an institution of higher education within 12 months after graduating from a Florida high school, and submits to the institution of higher education his or her high school transcript prior to initial enrollment in the institution” should be classified as a resident for tuition purposes.

The release adds that the bill “allows United States citizens to qualify for less expensive, in-state college tuition rates if they are four-year students and graduates of Florida high schools.”

The Southern Poverty Law Center filed a federal class action lawsuit last week “on behalf of several aspiring college students who are denied in-state college tuition rates in Florida because they cannot prove the lawful immigration status of their parents.”

The Law Center adds:

The state of Florida denied in-state college tuition rates to U.S. citizens living in the state but unable to prove the lawful immigration status of their parents – an unconstitutional policy that more than tripled the cost of tuition. The SPLC filed a federal lawsuit to end the practice.

The lawsuit charged that these policies of the Florida State Board of Education and the Florida Board of Governors are unconstitutional because they discriminate against U.S. citizen children due to the immigration status of their parents.