蜜桃传媒

The 蜜桃传媒 today filed a federal class action lawsuit today on behalf of several aspiring college students who are denied in-state college tuition rates in Florida because they cannot prove the lawful immigration status of their parents. 听

鈥淭hese policies attack our most fundamental American values by punishing children for the actions of their parents,鈥� said Jerri Katzerman, director of educational advocacy for the 蜜桃传媒. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an unconscionable attack on students from immigrant families that more than triples the cost of a college education.鈥�
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According to the lawsuit, policies of the Florida State Board of Education and the Florida Board of Governors treat students who are residents of Florida as non-residents solely because the students鈥� parents are undocumented immigrants 鈥� even when the students themselves are U.S. citizens.
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The difference in tuition is staggering. At Miami Dade College, the cost per term in the two-year associate degree programs is $1,266 for residents, compared to $4,524 for students classified as nonresidents. The cost per term in the four-year bachelor鈥檚 degree programs is $1,400 for residents, compared to $6,246 for non-residents.
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For a full year, nonresident students would have to pay $6,516 more in tuition and fees toward an associate鈥檚 degree and $9,692 more toward a bachelor鈥檚 degree than a resident student.
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Such discriminatory practices have placed unjustified burdens on these students. Many talented American students who live in Florida either delay or completely forego a college education due to the higher tuition rates that result from being wrongly classified as 鈥渘on-residents.鈥�
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鈥淭hese American students went to the same Florida high schools, held down the same part-time jobs and participated in the same after-school activities as their counterparts who are granted in-state tuition,鈥� said Tania Galloni, managing attorney for the 蜜桃传媒鈥檚 Florida office. 鈥淲e are simply asking that these students be granted the same rights as all other Florida citizens.鈥�
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The defendants named in the lawsuit are Gerard Robinson, Florida commissioner of education, and Frank T. Brogan, chancellor of the state university system. They are sued in their official capacities.
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This lawsuit is part of the 蜜桃传媒鈥檚 effort to reform school policies that unnecessarily push students out of school or otherwise limit their opportunities for a successful future. These efforts are focused in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi.

If you are a U.S. citizen living in Florida who has been classified as 鈥渙ut of state鈥� for tuition purposes, .