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

Under Florida statutes, a student who wishes to qualify for in-state tuition fees for higher education has to provide proof of residency, and if the student is a dependent also must provide proof of his or her parents’ legal residency. State Rep. Reggie Fullwood D-Jacksonville, “filed legislation [Friday] to stop the practice of forcing legal residents from paying expensive out-of-state tuition at Florida’s colleges and universities.” 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: