FIU Donor Pulls Funds Over President’s Politics

June 26, 2025
2,397 Views

A Miami businessman has walked back a $1 million donation to Florida International University after lawmakers repealed in-state tuition for undocumented students, The Miami Herald reported

Miguel Fernandez, a Cuban American businessman who told the newspaper he was a lifelong Republican until Donald Trump was elected in 2016, said the donation was intended for scholarships. But after the state abruptly hiked tuition on undocumented students earlier this year, Fernandez withdrew his donation in protest, calling the move “disheartening” in a letter to FIU officials.

“I cannot remain silent while thousands of Florida’s young residents are excluded from the opportunity to experience higher education. Many of these students are on the brink of graduation, while others face a future devoid of the educational opportunities they deserve,” Fernandez wrote in a letter to FIU officials obtained by the Herald.

Affected students will now see a 250 percent tuition increase, according to the newspaper.

Fernandez championed the legislation to provide in-state tuition for undocumented students, which passed in 2014 with the help of FIU president Jeanette Nuñez, who was a Republican lawmaker at the time. Nuñez, who resigned from her post as lieutenant governor in February to take the FIU job, has since reversed course on the legislation she once supported.

Earlier this year, while still lieutenant governor, she wrote in a social media post that the law had “run its course” and “Florida will not incentivize illegal immigration through this law or any other.”

That reversal prompted outrage from Fernandez.

“If I had to pay that price to betray children, I would rather be bankrupt. I find it immoral, and I find that a betrayal of the greatest level for someone to do this to her own community,” he said.

Fernandez has also expressed concern that FIU entered into a partnership with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as have multiple other public institutions in Florida.



Source by [author_name]

You may be interested

SharePoint vulnerability targeted by Chinese hackers
Business
shares3,115 views
Business
shares3,115 views

SharePoint vulnerability targeted by Chinese hackers

new admin - Jul 22, 2025

[ad_1] A newly discovered critical flaw in Microsoft’s SharePoint platform has spurred a mad frenzy from hackers — including some…

Amazon buys Bee AI wearable that listens to everything you say
Technology
shares3,052 views
Technology
shares3,052 views

Amazon buys Bee AI wearable that listens to everything you say

new admin - Jul 22, 2025

Amazon is acquiring Bee, a startup that puts AI on your wrist. Bee CEO Maria de Lourdes Zollo says on…

‘Absolutely phenomenal’ Western is an ‘underrated masterpiece’ with 86% rating | Films | Entertainment
Movies
shares2,155 views
Movies
shares2,155 views

‘Absolutely phenomenal’ Western is an ‘underrated masterpiece’ with 86% rating | Films | Entertainment

new admin - Jul 22, 2025

A gritty modern Western is hailed by fans as an underrated "masterpiece" and is Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. The…