Fine, Smith Spar Over In-State Tuition for Migrant Children

SB 2-B, introduced by Florida Senators Randy Fine (R) and Joe Gruters (R), attempts to aggressively address illegal immigration concerns. Among the numerous issues that Republicans address, in-state tuition for migrant children is one of them, and both state Senators Carlos Guillermo Smith (D) and Florida Senator Fine sparred over the issue this week.

The Florida Senate convened this week to deliberate on SB 2-B, an immigration reform bill that aims to introduce sweeping reforms, including the removal of in-state tuition benefits for migrant children. The proposal however has sparked heated debate among lawmakers, who are split on the issue.

Give or take, "the vast majority" of 6,500 migrant children currently benefit from in-state tuition according to the Florida Senate, but Republicans like Florida Senator Fine believe that eliminating in-state tuition for undocumented students would deter illegal immigration by removing incentives.

During an exchange with Florida Senator Smith, who believes that lawmakers need to see the financial benefit that the state has received from migrant children receiving state tuition before voting on the bill, Florida Senator Fine explained his stance.

"It eliminates a magnet that attracts illegal immigrants. The more benefits that one gets for being here illegally, the more incentive there is to be here illegally, and this is one big magnet – a 40 million dollar a year magnet that attracts illegal immigrants to our state,” he explained.

“If you eliminate that incentive along with many others, you may have a situation where the illegal immigrants will not come here. That is the goal,” he added.

However, critics of the bill like Florida Senator Smith question the bill's rationale and fairness.

Florida Senator Smith challenged Florida Senator Fine, asking, “You are saying that entire families are moving to the state of Florida so that they can enroll their child in Florida high schools for a minimum of three years so that they can have the privilege of paying in-state tuition rates in Florida?”

The Republican lawmaker countered, explaining that while the in-state tuition benefit might not be the sole motivator for illegal immigration, he believes that it contributes to a broader system of incentives.

“Every time that you reduce those incentives you have marginal cases of people who would have less incentive to come and less incentive to stay here. This is a big problem,” Florida Senator Fine argued.

"Let's not allow the American Dream to fade for these groups of students," Florida Senator Smith countered.