Florida is moving to close its public universities and colleges to undocumented students. The State University System Board of Governors is reviewing a rule that would bar students not lawfully present in the U.S. from enrolling in any of the state's 12 public universities beginning in 2027. Next week, the state Board of Education will vote on parallel rules that would ban undocumented students from all 24 state colleges as well.

Many of the students affected by these rules grew up in Florida. They attended Florida public schools, graduated from Florida high schools, and did everything right within the educational system available to them. The proposed university rule does not grandfather future students who are currently in high school and on track to apply. For them, the door would simply close.

The GED ban is even more alarming. The state Board of Education is also proposing to bar undocumented immigrants from adult general education programs, including GED preparation. Under Florida law, 16 and 17-year-olds can take the GED, and high school students regularly take dual enrollment courses at state colleges. These students have explicit constitutional protections. Under the landmark 1982 Supreme Court decision Plyler v. Doe, states cannot deny undocumented children access to public education without justifying a substantial state interest. These rules may cross that line.

Stripping access to higher education and workforce credentials does not make Florida stronger. It removes pathways to economic participation, professional careers, and civic contribution from young people who have known no other home.

We call on the Florida State University System Board of Governors to reject the university enrollment ban, and on the Florida State Board of Education to reject the rules barring undocumented students from state colleges and GED programs.