For Immediate Release: February 21, 2025
Contact: Fermin Vasquez at [email protected] or Kenia Guerrero at [email protected]
Washington, DC – Last week, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law a new policy rescinding the in-state tuition waiver which had previously granted eligible undocumented high school graduates in Florida access to in-state tuition at state public colleges and universities. In response, TheDream.US and The Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration have issued the following statement.
Gaby Pacheco, President and CEO of TheDream.US and a Miami resident since 1993, stated:
“Unfortunately, the decision to rescind the in-state tuition waiver is self-defeating for Florida. It will not just harm Dreamer students in our state, such as TheDream.US Scholars, but also Florida’s institutions of higher education and Florida’s future workforce and economy. Eliminating these waivers will collectively cost Florida institutions nearly $25 million in tuition and fees and result in long-term economic losses, less tax revenue, and a less educated and equipped workforce.
Yet the harms go much deeper than dollars and cents and future economic impact. Our state is turning its back and hindering the potential of students who have succeeded throughout their K-12 education and graduated from Florida high schools and have deep roots in our state – the average age of arrival to the U.S. of our TheDream.US Scholars in Florida has been just six years old.
More than 600 of our former Florida-based TheDream.US Scholars are now college graduates, with the vast majority of them putting their degrees to work in the state as nurses, teachers, engineers, entrepreneurs, and valued employees in Florida businesses. To cut off their opportunities to pursue and afford higher education is not only harmful to their future success, but Florida’s future and legacy as a state long-viewed as a beacon of dynamism, opportunity, and democracy.”
Diego Sánchez, Director of Policy and Strategy of the Presidents’ Alliance and former undocumented student in Florida, stated:
“Florida is losing out on homegrown talent. These students have grown up here, attended our public schools, and call this state home. They are not outsiders—they are our neighbors, classmates, and future leaders. Many are bilingual, driven, and ready to pursue careers as doctors, engineers, teachers, and entrepreneurs—professions that Florida desperately needs. The state has already invested in them, and they’re working their way up to contribute to the community, pay taxes, and strengthen our economy. By rescinding in-state tuition, we are either forcing them to drop out or pushing our brightest to seek opportunities in other states with more welcoming policies. That’s not just a disservice to these students —it’s a disservice to Florida’s future.
With existing shortages in healthcare, teaching, and STEM fields, Dreamers are eager to fill those gaps. Instead of harnessing the potential of this dedicated, skilled, and bilingual workforce, we’re closing doors to their education and driving them to seek opportunities elsewhere. This short-sighted decision will harm Florida’s economy, workforce, and long-term prosperity. It’s not about smart policy; it’s about politics, and it will come at a great cost to the state’s future.”
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TheDream.USis the nation’s largest college and career success program for undocumented immigrant students, having provided more than 11,000 college scholarships to Dreamers attending over 80 partner colleges in 21 states and Washington, DC. We believe everyone, regardless of where they were born, should have equitable access to a college education, a meaningful career, and opportunities to contribute to the communities they call home. For more information on TheDream.US, visit www.thedream.us.
The nonpartisan, nonprofit Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration brings college and university presidents and chancellors together on the immigration issues that impact higher education, our students, campuses, communities and nation. We work to support undocumented, international and refugee students, and advance forward-looking immigration policies and practices at the federal level, in our states, and across our college campuses. The Alliance is composed of 550+ college and university presidents and chancellors of public and private colleges and universities, enrolling over five million students in 42 states, D.C., and Puerto Rico.
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