Florida move to ban undocumented students from college

Immigration advocates in Florida have decried a “cruel and harmful” new rule by education officials aligned with hard-right Republican governor Ron DeSantis to ban undocumented students from state colleges and universities.

The Florida board of education voted on Tuesday to bar access to its 28 state-funded institutions to anybody not a US citizen or “lawfully present” in the country. It follows Florida’s move last year to strip discounted in-state tuition rates for certain immigrant students.

Opponents on Wednesday assailed the new directive, which some analysts estimate could cost Florida up to $15m annually in lost tuition and other fees. They also questioned if it was legal, given that it was approved by DeSantis’s hand-picked board of seven, instead of the elected state legislature.

“The rule-making process is supposed to implement existing legislation and laws that were passed, not create its own, and not create its own policies, which is exactly what the department is trying to do,” said Alexis Tsoukalas, senior analyst of the Florida Policy Institute, at a press conference hosted by the Florida Immigrant Coalition.

She said the action ran contrary to DeSantis’s own “Sail to 60” goal, a 2019 policy that sought to lift the number of Florida residents with “high-value” post-secondary education from below 50% to at least 60%.

“The Florida college system is already struggling with declining enrollment; this has been the case for the past several years, and it’s only gotten worse,” she said.

“It’s not like there are students waiting in the wings to enroll when others are denied admission. Florida cannot reach its attainment goal if a shrinking share are enrolling, so it is very much a concern for the state.”

Alexander Vallejos, a so-called Dreamer and computer science student at the University of Central Florida, who came with his family from South America in 2001 as a one-year-old, said it was cruel to dash the hopes of immigrant children who worked through the school system to graduate high school, only to find their pathway to higher education blocked.

“This ruling sends a painful message to young people who have done everything right,” he said. “It tells them that their hard work isn’t enough, and that their dreams are less because of something they have no control over.

“Behind every policy is a real person, a student’s story, where they’re staying up late to study, a young person working two jobs just to pay for college, a future engineer, teacher, nurse, entrepreneur. They just want the chance to succeed.”

Luisa Santos, an elected member of the Miami-Dade school, who was brought to the US by her family from Colombia as an eight-year-old, said the state faced “serious consequences” for moving ahead with the ban.

“[It’s] everything from the $15m in lost tuition and fees estimated as a result of this, and even our governor getting in his own way of stated goals like Sail to 60, which so many school districts around Florida have worked so hard to try to accomplish,” she said.

“What I really want to focus on is how cruel, harmful, and just unnecessary this rule is right now. These rule changes took me back to the darkest days of high school, where, like Alexander, I felt the world caving in on me.

“No matter how hard I worked, I felt like opportunities were being taken away.”

Republican state senator Don Gaetz told the Florida Phoenix that only citizens and documented immigrants should be allowed to attend the state’s colleges and universities.

“The policy issue is: should illegal aliens receive taxpayer-funded higher education in Florida? And in my view, the answer to that question should be no,” he said.

“And if necessary, I will file legislation to ensure that the decision of the state board is enshrined in statute.”

But Anna Eskamani, a Democratic state representative running to become Orlando mayor, spoke by telephone during the public comment section of Tuesday’s board of education meeting to denounce the policy, according to the outlet.

“The attempt to restrict a child’s access to higher education based on the documentation status that is no fault of their own is un-American, it’s unfaithful, and it’s absolutely also constitutionally concerning because, obviously, we did not pass legislation on this matter,” she said.

https://www.aol.com/articles/outrage-over-cruel-florida-move-165635000.html

Spectrum Bay News 9

@BN9

Florida lawmakers react after the state Board of Education voted to approve a rule that would ban undocumented immigrants from public colleges. Another rule for public universities is under consideration.

https://x.com/BN9/status/2072110473302986981

U.S. Department of Justice

@TheJusticeDept

Birth tourism schemes exploit our immigration laws and often violate our criminal laws. The Department of Justice will prioritize the prosecutions of birth tourism schemes across the country. Actors seeking to exploit loopholes to obtain automatic citizenship for their children pose a national security threat and will be brought to justice.

https://x.com/TheJusticeDept/status/2071997614959280523

Some ZYN nicotine pouches can be sold as safer than cigarettes, FDA says

The maker of ZYN nicotine pouches can tell consumers its products are safer to use than cigarettes, the Food and Drug Administration announced Tuesday.

The agency has authorized Swedish Match USA, which is part of Philip Morris International, to say that 20 of its ZYN products “put you at a lower risk of mouth cancer, heart disease, lung cancer, stroke, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis” than cigarettes.

It’s long been clear that burning tobacco in cigarettes is toxic and can cause cancer, heart disease and other illnesses. Nicotine is the substance in cigarettes that makes them so addictive.

Nicotine pouches — which users tuck between their lip and gum — can contain as much as 6 milligrams of nicotine. They are not approved by the FDA as nicotine replacement products used to help quit smoking.

Dr. Pamela Ling, director of the University of California San Francisco’s Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, said ZYN’s higher nicotine levels are concerning.

“As your brain is exposed to nicotine, you produce more and more nicotine receptors, so over time the need for more nicotine just to feel normal increases,” she said. “Nicotine addiction is not trivial.”

Tuesday’s action by the FDA applies to select ZYN flavors, such as Cool Mint, Citrus, Coffee and Cinnamon, in both 3-milligram and 6-milligram strengths.

Nicorette gum, which is approved as a therapy to help people quit smoking, contains 2 to 4 milligrams of nicotine.

One small but important outcome of the FDA’s action would be if an adult smoker were to use the information to switch entirely to the pouches, said Dr. Adam Goldstein, director of Tobacco Intervention Programs at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine.

“But you have to have complete switching, and that’s something that we haven’t seen,” he said. “The majority of people using oral nicotine products are not using them to quit combustible cigarettes. They’re using them to supplement them on airplanes or in restaurants or other indoor spaces.”

Fruity flavors known to be favored among kids, such as Black Cherry and Peach, are not included.

Last week, the FDA’s annual National Youth Tobacco Survey found that 1.7% of middle and high school students reported using nicotine pouches in 2025, with more than 1 in 6 of those kids saying they used them every day. ZYN was the most popular nicotine pouch brand reported.

Mike Seilback, assistant vice president of nationwide advocacy and state public policy at the American Lung Association, called the move “appalling.”

“The Lung Association calls on the FDA to reverse this action,” Seilback said in an emailed statement. “We must protect our children from a lifelong addition to nicotine.”

The FDA’s authorization requires Swedish Match USA to study how its customers perceive risks associated with their products for the next five years. It also stipulates that if the FDA sees evidence of a significant increase in kids using the products, the agency could reverse course.

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/zyn-nicotine-pouches-safer-cigarettes-fda-rcna352421

Mark Lucas 🇺🇸

@MarkLucasUSA

🚨ELECTION INTEGRITY🚨

It’s time to EXPOSE the truth on overseas ballots!

Over 70% of overseas ballots were cast by civilians NOT military servicemembers.

UOCAVA ballots are being exploited by the Left in critical battleground states.

https://x.com/MarkLucasUSA/status/2072294030520561798