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Senate passes comprehensive immigration bill creating state enforcement board, grants and ending in‑state tuition waiver
Summary
The Florida Senate approved Senate Bill 2C on Feb. 13, 2025, creating a State Board of Immigration Enforcement, funding a $250 million local enforcement grant program, expanding DACS interdiction funding, and removing the in‑state tuition waiver for certain noncitizen students; the bill passed 27–10.
The Florida Senate passed Senate Bill 2C on Feb. 13, 2025, approving a comprehensive package that establishes a State Board of Immigration Enforcement, creates a $250 million grant program to fund local participation in federal immigration enforcement work, and removes the uncodified in-state tuition waiver for noncitizen students effective July 2025.
Sponsor explanation: Senator Gruters, the bill’s sponsor, said the measure “creates a state board of immigration enforcement comprised of the governor, the commissioner of agriculture, the attorney general, and the chief financial officer,” and enables that board to approve grants and coordinate with federal immigration authorities. He described appropriations that include $250,000,000 for grants and $48,000,000 to the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (DACS), including $25,000,000 to build a new interdiction station in North Florida. Gruters also summarized provisions that require pretrial detention for unauthorized immigrants charged with forcible felonies and expand information sharing with ICE.
Key contested elements on the floor included the removal of the in‑state tuition waiver for some noncitizen students and how quickly any changes would take effect. Senator Peter Pizzo offered a floor amendment to provide a limited grandfathering (a glide path) for students currently enrolled; the amendment failed on a roll-call vote, 14–22. Several senators opposed eliminating the tuition waiver for current students and said the change would break a prior promise to those students; supporters said the waiver was an inducement that discouraged lawful immigration and that the bill focuses on criminal offenders.
Other debated items included whether local agencies would be required to participate in federal enforcement, how courts should weigh immigration status in bail and pretrial detention decisions, and the scope of transport arrangements with ICE. Sponsors emphasized coordination with the federal government and repeated that deportation remains a federal responsibility. The Senate adopted SB 2C by a roll-call vote of 27 yeas to 10 nays.
