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In about two dozen states, immigrant students who have protection under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals - or DACA - program can pay in-state tuition for college, which can mean big savings. But amid a broader crackdown on illegal immigration, that discount is at risk. From member station WUSF, Nancy Guan reports that Florida is getting rid of the benefit.
NANCY GUAN, BYLINE: In the hallway of Seminole State College in Sanford, Florida, Hernan stares at the photos of alumni hanging on the walls.
HERNAN: They're pretty professional people. She graduated in 2018. Maybe one day I'll be here, too (laughter).
GUAN: Hernan asked that we not use his last name because he fears being targeted for his immigration status. His family brought him to the U.S. from Mexico as a child, and he has protection under DACA. But the program is facing court challenges. Hernan is a junior, studying construction management. He's worked in landscaping since he was 16 and says a bachelor's degree will get him further in his career.
HERNAN: I will need this for higher, like, manager or even corporate positions - like, up there. I feel that if I don't have this right now, I can't begin my life.
GUAN: He needs about nine more classes in order to graduate, but a new state law scheduled to go into effect later this year could delay Hernan's future. The law gets rid of a waiver that has allowed students with DACA protections to pay the same in-state tuition rate as their U.S. citizen peers if they attended a Florida high school for three years. These students can't access federal financial aid or state aid in most cases. When lawmakers created the waiver a decade ago, they believed it would give young people like Hernan a chance at higher education, but attitudes have changed.
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RANDY FINE: It is immoral to charge people who shouldn't even be in the country a vastly discounted price.
GUAN: That was former Florida state Senator - now Congressman - Randy Fine, speaking at a committee meeting in January. He and other lawmakers who supported eliminating the tuition benefit argue that it encourages illegal immigration. And now thousands are at risk of losing the waiver, according to Florida's university and college systems. Diego Sanchez is with the Presidents' Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, a group that tracks these tuition policies.
DIEGO SANCHEZ: They didn't just block future students. They basically pulled the rug out from under students who are already enrolled, already paying, who relied on this waiver, and many who were already on track to graduate.
GUAN: Sanchez says Republican legislatures in at least three states with in-state tuition for DACA students have also tried to reverse their policies this year. But so far, Florida is the only one that succeeded. Hernan says he's expecting his tuition to triple. To finish his remaining courses, it'll cost him about $15,000 instead of $4,000. But he smiles and says he's staying positive.
HERNAN: We just got to adapt. That's one of my favorite words - adapt (laughter). I got to adapt to the changes, you know, in current society, you know?
GUAN: He says he's thinking about applying for private scholarships or loans that can cover the extra costs or maybe taking a year off to work full-time and save up.
HERNAN: I consider this state my home. And it will be my home until the last stage - you know, where they kick me out, or they deport me. But as far, I'm going to keep fighting.
GUAN: Fighting, he says, for whatever it takes to earn his degree.
For NPR News, I'm Nancy Guan in Sanford, Florida.
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