Stories from the field: New Florida law backed by SPLC helps young immigrants pursue dreams

By Eileen Espinal

As a community youth advocate with the SPLC, I recently spoke with a wonderful group of young immigrants in Florida about the challenges they face. Their stories differed, but they all shared the common dream of learning, growing and giving back to their communities.

But at the time, there was a large obstacle between these young people and their dreams: access to an affordable college education. The state required many immigrant Floridians to pay out-of-state tuition rates – even if they lived in the state and attended school here. This meant their college tuition might be four times higher than that of a student paying in-state tuition.

Fortunately, these immigrant students now have an opportunity to achieve their dreams thanks to a new state law the SPLC and the Florida Immigrant Coalition helped pass. The law, which took effect this month, allows immigrant students in Florida, including those who lack documentation, to qualify for in-state tuition rates if they meet certain requirements.

By passing this law, Florida has…

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