Florida's Board of Governors weigh barring undocumented students from enrollment in state's 12 public universities

Florida's Board of Governors, which oversees the state's 12 public universities, is weighing a change to admission policies that could bar undocumented students from enrollment.

The proposed policy states: "A person who is not lawfully present in the United States shall not be eligible for initial enrollment in any state university which, for the two most recent academic years, did not admit all academically qualified candidates."

Critics argue the move would effectively exclude undocumented students who have deep roots in the state.

"You're talking about kids who have grown up in Florida," said Thomas Kennedy of the Florida Immigrant Coalition. "A lot of them were brought when they were very young, have gone through the K through 12 public high school system."

Supporters of the policy, including Gov. Ron DeSantis, argue that state resources should prioritize legal residents.

"I am fully supportive of it," DeSantis said. "I think what they are doing is the right thing to do, and I think it's putting the students in Florida that are growing up here, going to our schools, Florida residents ... It's putting them first."

The board was scheduled to vote on the proposal on Wednesday, but decided to delay the decision until Thursday.