Florida GOP lawmakers file legislation punishing pro-Hamas university students

Republican Florida lawmakers have filed bills in the Senate and House that would yank state scholarships or tuition aid from college students promoting a foreign terrorist group.

If passed during the legislative session starting in January, the bills filed Wednesday also would require universities to report those students to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security if they're in the country on a visa.

The identical bills (HB 465, SB 470) spring from concerns about student-led protests across the state and country following Hamas' surprise attack on Israel Oct. 7 and the subsequent war.

Last week, students interrupted a Florida State University board of trustees meeting with pro-Palestinian chants. This Tuesday, pro-Palestinian protesters, many of them college students, rallied and marched outside the Florida Capitol. They called for a ceasefire and an end to U.S. aid to Israel, accusing it of committing genocide against Palestinian people. Some present celebrated "Palestinian resistance," and some defended Hamas' action.

Senate Bill sponsor Blaise Ingoglia, R-Spring Hill, said in a press release that Florida taxpayers should not be "subsidizing the education of terrorist sympathizers."

“The heinous terrorist attack on Oct. 7 have pulled back the curtain and exposed the rampant antisemitism happening on the campuses of colleges and universities throughout this country," said Ingoglia, a former chair of the state's Republican Party. "In Florida, we will not stand for Hamas apologists advocating for the genocide of the Israeli people."

The other sponsor, state Rep. John Temple, R-Wildwood, said, "Florida’s commitment is to stand with Israel and not be complicit to foreign terrorist organizations making postsecondary institutions a place for activism."

Bill would bar financial aid and more for promoting 'foreign terrorist' groups

The legislation says a student who promotes a "foreign terrorist organization" must be given out-of-state student fees and is ineligible for fee waivers. It also says they can't be awarded "institutional or state grants, financial aid, scholarships or tuition assistance."

The bill said such organizations include those "designated by the United States Department of State as a foreign organization that engages in or has the capability and intent to engage in terrorist activity and threatens the defense, foreign relations, or economic interests of the United States. The designation includes, but is not limited to, Hamas and Palestine Islamic Jihad."

First Amendment concerns: Lawmaker, DeSantis' call to expel pro-Hamas protesters pits safety and free speech

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First Amendment concerns over student aid bills

The bill is likely to face opposition from First Amendment advocates, who've come out against other pushes by state officials the last month to penalize college students and groups accused of being pro-Hamas.

That was the case after Gov. Ron DeSantis and his top higher education official, Chancellor Ray Rodrigues, called for the deactivation of two National Students for Justice in Palestine chapters at Florida universities, accusing the national organization of providing "material support" to Hamas.

The governor went on to brag about the deactivation during the last Republican presidential candidate debate, only for Rodrigues to announce the next morning that those chapters remained active. He said universities decided against it after finding evidence the groups were separate from the national one, and after attorneys warned them about legal consequences.

Rep. Randy Fine, R-Palm Bay, called for students expressing support for Hamas to be expelled under an anti-discrimination law he sponsored and DeSantis signed.

"This call is fueled by understandable anger and grief, but that does not make it constitutional," said Ken Paulson, director of the Free Speech Center at Middle Tennessee State University, at the time. "The First Amendment could not be more clear. Americans may not be punished by the government for their opinions. It could not be more clear, more basic or more essential to our democracy."

While DeSantis said he supported Fine, the lawmaker publicly broke with him soon after and threw his support behind former President Donald Trump in the presidential election. He accused DeSantis of not taking action to see the law used.

This reporting content is supported by a partnership with Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners. USA Today Network-Florida First Amendment reporter Douglas Soule is based in Tallahassee, Fla. He can be reached at DSoule@gannett.com. On X: @DouglasSoule.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida lawmakers want to yank financial aid from pro-Hamas students